Combining human oversight with technology

Maintaining the trust of the scientific community is paramount. To ensure the quality and integrity of published research, we work with our editors and reviewers and the scientific community more broadly. That includes investing heavily in both human oversight and cutting edge technology to help prevent and detect problematic content.

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In-house experts guarding the integrity of research

We know that for researchers to do their best work, they need to have confidence in the information they are building on. We have a dedicated team of in-house experts who work solely on research integrity and publishing ethics. Working with editors and reviewers, they prevent fraudulent articles from being published and investigate any concerns that arise after publication. Their vigilance enables us to correct the scientific record in a timely and transparent manner.  

Critically, we monitor the integrity of papers at every stage of the publishing process, both before publication and after. Manuscripts are screened at multiple points, and every concern is examined by our team.

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Investing in technology to protect against evolving trends

We invest heavily in sophisticated, data-driven technology to help our in-house experts and editors detect plagiarism, fraudulent content and other issues across the submission, editorial and peer review process as well as in published articles. This technology examines more than 100 data points, indicating potential integrity issues and ethical misconduct. We add new datapoints as new patterns of behaviour are identified. 

This combination of technology and human expertise enables us to respond to new and evolving behaviors and trends and enhance our tools and processes to prevent the publication of unethical research.

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Equipping editors with the tools to do their best work

Our 36,000 expert editors worldwide have full independence as they manage the editorial and peer review process from submission to conclusion. To support them in ensuring the integrity of published research, we provide with technology and extensive resources on publishing ethics and bespoke training materials. These tools help editors with the full breadth of editorial work — from managing and developing a journal and its editorial team to evaluating submissions and dealing with ethics cases.

Combining human oversight with technology

In-house experts guarding the integrity of research

Investing in technology to protect against evolving trends

Equipping editors with the tools to do their best work

Related pages

Rigorous standards and processes

Strengthening confidence in research together

Research integrity