Publishing is not enough: The urgent need for a culture of academic integrity

Abstract

This article reflects on the urgent need to change the current academic culture focused on productivity (measured by the number of publications or H-index) over the quality, methodological rigor and integrity of research. Scientific integrity cannot be reduced to merely avoiding plagiarism or evident fraud; it requires a commitment to honesty, transparency, and accountability throughout the entire research cycle. In an environment dominated by the pressure to “publish or perish,” researchers, especially younger ones, may be motivated to adopt questionable practices like data manipulation or unjustified authorship. These behaviors undermine the reliability of scientific knowledge and directly affect society through political, clinical and public health decision-making based on weak evidence.

Despite the upsurge and strength of the open access movement in Latin America, there are specific challenges like the paucity of empirical research on integrity, the proliferation of predatory journals and lack of recognition of teaching, peer review and mentorship. Finally, the article calls for the reform of academic evaluation systems, promoting incentives that value social impact, methodological quality – as the backbone of research- and ethical collaboration over the number of publications.