The dimensions of the academic productivism phenomenon and its harmful effect on scientific activity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-5245.30.138768Keywords:
academic productivism, scientific assessment, scientific publication, research ethicsAbstract
The evaluation processes of academic life, which are predominantly quantitative, have led researchers to distort their productivity, in many cases, through unethical attitudes, leading to the so-called academic productivism. In this sense, this article aims to examine the phenomenon of academic productivism, seeking to identify its dimensions in the context of authorship attribution, the configuration of publications, citations, and predatory publications, and discuss its effects on the scientific communication process. To do so, it uses a critical review of the literature, focusing on issues relating to the sociology of science and ethics in scientific production. The article highlights the need to consider elements of a qualitative nature when evaluating scientific productivity, reflecting an ethical commitment to scientific practice. It concludes that academic productivism has led to the practice of valuing publication as the ultimate objective of research and intellectual production, restricting investigative activity and the production of knowledge to a quantification of results.
Downloads
References
ABRAMO, G.; D’ANGELO, C.A.; GRILLI, L. The effects of citation-based research evaluation schemes on self-citation behavior. Journal of Informetrics, Amsterdam, v. 15, n. 4, p. 1-18, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2021.101204. Acesso em: 20 jan. 2024.
AKSNES, D. W. A macro study of self-citation. Scientometrics, New York, v. 56, n. 1, p. 235-246, 2003. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021919228368. Acesso em: 23 jan. 2024.
ALCADIPANI, R. Resistir ao produtivismo: uma ode à perturbação acadêmica. Cadernos EBAPE.BR, Rio de Janeiro, v. 9, n. 4, p. 1174-1178, 2011. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-39512011000400015. Acesso em: 2 dez. 2023.
ALVES, R. Publish or Perish. Portuguese Journal of Nephrology & Hypertension, Lisboa, v. 28, n. 1, p. 277-279, 2014.
BARBOSA FILHO, E.; COSTA, L. F. O Fenômeno do produtivismo acadêmico na percepção dos docentes da área da Ciência da Informação. Folha de Rosto, Juazeiro do Norte, v. 7, n. 2, p. 142-155, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.46902/2021n2p142-155. Acesso em: 5 dez. 2023.
BERNARDI, S. A sombra das revistas predatórias no Brasil. Pesquisa Fapesp, São Paulo, edição 270, ago. 2018.
BINSWANGER, M. How nonsense became excellence: forcing professors to publish. In: WELPE, I.; WOLLERSHEIM, J.; RINGELHAN, S.; OSTERLOH, M. (ed.). Incentives and performance. Springer: Cham, 2015.
BOCH, F.; GROSSMAN, F. Sobre o uso das citações no discurso teórico: de constatações a proposições didáticas. In: RINCK, F.; BOCH, F.; ASSIS, J. A. (org.). Letramento e forma o universitária: formar para a escrita e pela escrita. Campinas: Mercado de Letras, 2015. p. 225-250.
BORNMANN, L. Scientific peer review. Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, New Jersey, v. 45, n. 1, p. 197-245, 2011. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1002/aris.2011.1440450112. Acesso em 12 fev. 2024.
CASE, C. M. Scholarship in sociology. Sociology and social research, Los Angeles, v. 12, p. 323-340, 1928.
COSTAS, R.; VAN LEEUWEN, T. N.; BORDONS, M. A Bibliometric classificatory approach for the study and assessment of research performance at the individual level: the effects of age on productivity and impact. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, New Jersey, v. 61, n. 8, p. 1564-1581, 2010. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21348. Acesso em: 7 jul. 2024.
DAVIS, P. The emergence of a citation cartel. The scholarly kitchen: what’s hot and cooking in scholarly publishing, New Jersey, 10 Apr. 2012.
EDWARDS, M. A.; ROY, S. Academic research in the 21st Century: maintaining scientific integrity in a climate of perverse incentives and hypercompetition. Environmental Engineering Science in the 21st Century, New York, v. 34, n. 1, p. 51-61, 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2016.0223. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
ERLEN, J. A. et al. Multiple authorship: issues and recommendations. Journal of Professional Nursing, Washington, v. 13, n. 4, p. 262-270, 1997. Disponível em: https://doi.org/ 10.1016/s8755-7223(97)80097-x. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
FISTER, I. Jr; FISTER, I.; PERC, M. Toward the discovery of citation cartels in citation networks. Frontiers in Physics, Lausanne, v. 4, n. 49, p. 1-5, 2016. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2016.00049. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
FOWLER, J. H., AKSNES, D. W. Does self-citation pay? Scientometrics, New York, v. 72, n. 1, p. 427-437, 2007. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-007-1777-2. Acesso em: 19 dez. 2023.
FRANCK, G. Scientific communication-A vanity fair? Science, Washington, v. 286, n. 5437, p. 54-55, 1999. Disponível em: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.286.5437.53. Acesso em: 19 dez. 2023.
FREDERICK, D. E. Scholarly communications, predatory publisher and publish or perish culture in the 2020s. Library Hi Tech News, Leeds, v 37, n. 5, p. 1-11, 2020. Disponível em: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LHTN-01-2020-0007/full/html. Acesso em: 19 dez. 2023.
GARFIELD, E. Citation indexing: its theory and application in Science Technology and Humanities. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1979.
GARFIELD E.; SHER, I. H. New factorx in the evaluation of scientific literature through citation indexing. American Documentation, New York, v. 14, n. 1, p. 195-201, 1969. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.5090140304. Acesso em: 2 fev. 2024.
GARVEY, W. D.; GRIFFITH, B. C. Communication and information processing within scientific disciplines: empirical findings for Psychology. Information Storage and Retrieval, Amsterdam, v. 8, n. 3, p. 123-136, 1972. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-0271(72)90041-1. Acesso em: 2 fev. 2024.
GARVEY, W. D.; GRIFFITH, B. C. Scientific communication: its role in the conduct of research and creation of knowledge. American Psychologist, Washington, v. 26, n. 4, p. 349-362, 1971. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0032059. Acesso em: 3 fev. 2024.
GÉNOVA, G.; ASTUDILLO, H.; FRAGA, A. The scientometric bubble considered harmful. Science and Engineering Ethics, New York, v. 22, n. 1, p. 227-235, 2016. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-015-9632-6. Acesso em: 3 jul. 2024.
GLÄNZEL, W. Bibliometrics as a research field: a course on theory and application of bibliometric indicators. [S.l.]: Course handouts, 2003.
GLÄNZEL, W.; DEBACKERE, K.; THIJS, B.; SCHUBERT, A. A concise review on the role of author self-citations in information science, bibliometrics and science policy. Scientometrics, New York, v. 67, n. 1, p. 263-277, 2006. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-006-0098-9. Acesso em: 20 fev. 2024.
GLÄNZEL, W., THIJS, B. The influence of author self-citations on bibliometric macro indicators. Scientometrics, New York, v. 59, n. 1, p. 281-310, 2004. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SCIE.0000018535.99885.e9. Acesso em: 10 jan. 2024.
GLÄNZEL, W.; THIJS, B.; SCHUBERT, A. The Weight of author self-citations. In: INGWERSEN, P.; LARSEN, B. (ed.). Proceedings of ISSI 2005: the 10th International Conference of the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics, v. 1, Stockholm, Sweden, 24-28 July 2005. Stockholm: Karolinska University Press, 2005. p. 382-389.
GRANT, M. J.; BOOTH, A. A Typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, Oxford, v. 26, p. 91-108, 2009. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x. Acesso em: 10 jan. 2024.
GRIMES, D. R.; BAUCH, C. T.; IOANNIDIS, J. P. Modelling science trustworthiness under publish or perish pressure. Royal Society Open Science, United Kingdom, v. 5, n. 1, p. 1-14, 2018. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.171511. Acesso em 12 jan. 2024.
GUIMARÃES, J. A. C.; HAYASHI, M. C. P. I. Revistas predatórias: um inimigo a ser combatido na comunicação científica. RDBCI: Revista Digital de Biblioteconomia e Ciência da Informação, Campinas, v. 21, n. 1, p. 1-19, 2023. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.20396/rdbci.v21i00.8671811. Acesso em: 15 jan. 2024.
GUIMARÃES, J. A. C. A dimensão teórica do tratamento temático da informação e suas interlocuções com o universo científico da International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO). Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciência da Informação, Brasília, v. 1, n. 1, p. 77-99, 2008. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.26512/rici.v1.n1.2008.940. Acesso em: 3 fev. 2024.
GUIMARÃES, J. A. C. Os rankings universitários como sistemas de organização do conhecimento: considerações teóricas. Informação & Sociedade: estudos, João Pessoa, v. 30, n.4, p. 1-23, 2020. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.1809-4783.2020v30n4.57187. Acesso em: 10 jan. 2024.
HANGEL. N.; SCHMIDT-PFISTER, D. Why do you publish? On the tensions between generating scientific knowledge and publication pressure. Aslib Journal of Information Management, Bradford, v. 69, n. 5, p. 529-544, 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-01-2017-0019. Acesso em: 20 dez. 2023.
HENEBERG, P. From excessive journal self-cites to citation stacking: analysis of journal self-citation kinetics in search for journals, which boost their scientometric indicators. PLoS ONE, San Francisco, v. 11, n. 4, p. 1-20, 2016. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153730. Acesso em: 12 jan. 2024.
HENRY, S. On the ethics of collaborative authorship: the challenge of authorship order and the risk of textploitation. Western Criminology Review, Bethesda, v. 14, n. 1, p. 84-87, 2013.
HERMAN, E. Scholarly reputation. FEMS Microbiology Letters, Amsterdam, v. 365, n. 18, p. 1-10, 2018. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fny200. Acesso em: 10 jan. 2024.
HICKMAN, C. F.; FONG, E. A.; WILHITE, A. W.; LEE, Y. Academic misconduct and criminal liability: manipulating academic journal impact factors. Science and Public Policy, Oxford, v. 46, n. 5, p. 661-667, 2019. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scz019. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
HYLAND, K.; JIANG, K. Changing patterns of self-citation: cumulative inquiry or selfpromotion? Text and Talk, Berlin, v. 3, n. 38, p. 365-387, 2018. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2018-0004. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
HILÁRIO, C. M.; GRÁCIO, M. C. C.; GUIMARÃES, J. A. C. Aspectos éticos da coautoria em publicações científicas. Em questão, Porto Alegre, v. 24, n. 2, p. 12-36, 2018. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.19132/1808-5245242.12-36. Acesso em 10 dez. 2023.
HILÁRIO, C. M.; GRÁCIO, M. C. C.; MARTÍNEZ-ÁVILA, D.; WOLFRAM, D. Authorship order as an indicator of similarity between article discourse and author citation identity in informetrics. Scientometrics, New York v. 128, n. 1, p. 5389-5410, 2023. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-023-04791-6. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
HILÁRIO, C. M.; MARTÍNEZ-ÁVILA, D.; GRÁCIO, M. C. C.; WOLFRAM, D. Authorship in science: a critical analysis from a Foucauldian perspective. Research Evaluation, Oxford, v. 27, n. 2, p. 63-72, 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvx041. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
IOANNIDIS, J. P. A. A generalized view of self-citation: direct, co-author, collaborative, and coercive induced self-citation. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Amsterdam, v. 78, n. 1, p. 7-11, 2015. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.11.008. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
IOANNIDIS, J. P. A.; BAAS, J.; KLAVANS, R.; BOYACK, K. W. A standardized citation metrics author database annotated for scientifc feld. PLoS Biology, San Francisco, v. 17, n. 8, p. 1-6, 2019. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000384. Acesso em 3 jul. 2024.
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF MEDICAL JOURNAL EDITORS. Defining the role of authors and contributors. [S.l.], 2017.
MACIAS-CHAPULA, C. A. O papel da informetria e da cienciometria e sua perspectiva nacional e internacional. Ciência da Informação, Brasília, v. 27, n. 2, p. 134-140, 1998. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-19651998000200005. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
MARTIN, B. R. Editors’ JIF-boosting stratagems - which are appropriate and which are not? Research Policy, Amsterdam, v. 45, p. 1-7, 2016. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2015.09.001. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
MATTEDI, M. A.; SPIESS, M. R. A avaliação da produtividade científica. História, Ciências, Saúde-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, v. 24, n. 3, p. 623-643, 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-59702017000300005. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
MERTON, R. K. Social theory and social structure. New York: Free Press, 1957.
MOSKOVITZ, C. Text recycling in scientific writing. Science and Engineering Ethics, New York, v. 25, n. 1, p. 813-851, 2019. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-017-0008-y. Acesso em: 10 nov. 2023.
MOUSSA, S. A bibliometric investigation of the journals that were repeatedly suppressed from Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports. Accountability in Research, London, v. 30, n. 8, p. 592-612, 2023. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2022.2071154. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
NOE, L. F.; BATTEN, D. J. Publish or perish: the pitfalls of duplicate publication. Palaeontology, New York, v. 49, n. 6, p. 1365-1367, 2006. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00617.x. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
PARUZEL-CZACHURA, M.; BARAN, L.; SPENDEL, Z. Publish or be ethical? Publishing pressure and scientific misconduct in research. Research Ethics, London, v. 17, n. 3, p. 375-397, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1177/1747016120980562. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
PERIANES-RODRIGUEZ, A.; WALTMAN, L.; VAN ECK, N. J. Constructing bibliometric networks: a comparison between full and fractional counting. Journal of Informetrics, Amsterdam, v. 10, n. 4, p. 1178-1195, 2016. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2016.10.006. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
PETROIANU, A. Autoria de um trabalho científico. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira, São Paulo, v. 48, n. 1, p. 60-65, 2002. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-42302002000100034. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
PIMENTA, A. G. (Des)caminhos da pós-graduação brasileira: o produtivismo acadêmico e seus efeitos nos professores pesquisadores. 2014. Tese (Doutorado em Educação) - Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, 2014.
PRUSCHAK, G.; HOPP, C. And the credit goes to … - Ghost and honorary authorship among social scientists. Plos One, San Francisco, v. 17, n. 5, p. 1-22, 2022. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267312. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
RAAIJ, E. M. V. Déjà lu: on the limits of data reuse across multiple publications. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, United Kingdom, v. 24, n. 3, p. 183-191, 2018. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2018.06.002. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
REGO, T. C. Produtivismo, pesquisa e comunicação científica: entre o veneno e o remédio. Educação e pesquisa, São Paulo, v. 40, n. 2, p. 325-346, 2014. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-97022014061843. Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
RICHTIG, G.; BERGER, M.; LANGE-ASSCHENFELDT, B.; ABERER, W.; RICHTIG, E. Problems and challenges of predatory journals. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, United Kingdom, v. 32, n. 9, p. 1441-1449, 2018. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.15039. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
SANTOS, L. H. L. Sobre a integridade ética da pesquisa. In: FAPESP. Boas práticas científicas. São Paulo, 2011.
SANTOS, J. M.; HORTA, H.; LI, H. Are the strategic research agendas of researchers in the social sciences determinants of research productivity? Scientometrics, New York, v. 127, n. 7, p. 3719-3747, 2022. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04324-7. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
SILVA, W. M.; LEAL, C. C. Salami science na era do open data: déjà lu e accountability na pesquisa em gestão e negócios: editorial. Revista de Administração Contemporânea, Maringá, v. 25, n. 1, p. 1-12, 2021. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2021200194. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
VAN DALEN, H.; HENKENS,K. Intended and unintended consequences of a publish-or-perish culture: a worldwide survey. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, New York, v. 63, n. 7, p. 1282-1293, 2012. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22636. Acesso em: 2 jan. 2024.
VAN NOORDEN, R. Record number of journals banned for boosting impact factor with self-citations. In: Newsblog: nature brings you breaking news from de world science. [S.l.], 2012.
VAN NOORDEN, R. Signs of ‘citation hacking’ flagged in scientific papers. Nature, London, v. 584, n. 7822, p. 508-509, 2020. Disponível em: https://doi.org/ 10.1038/d41586-020-02378-2. Acesso em: 3 jun. 2023.
VANZ, S. A. de S.; STUMPF, I. R. C. Colaboração científica: revisão teórico-conceitual. Perspectivas em Ciência da Informação, Belo Horizone, v. 15, n. 2, p. 42-55, 2010. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-99362010000200004. Acesso em: 3 jun. 2023.
VELDKAMP C. L.; HARTGERINK, C. H.; VAN ASSEN, M. A. L. M.; WICHERTS, J. M. Who believes in the storybook image of the scientist? Accountability in Research, London, v. 24, n. 3, p. 127-151, 2017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2016.1268922 Acesso em: 10 dez. 2023.
VINCENT-LAMARRE, P.; LARIVIÈRE, V. Are self-citations a normal feature of knowledge accumulation?. arXiv, Itaca, 5 Mar. 2023. Disponível em:
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2303.02667. Acesso em: 3 dez. 2023.
WEINGART, P. Das ritual der evaluierung und die verführbarkeit. In: WEINGART, P. (ed). Die wissenschaft der öffentlichkeit: essays zum verhältnis von wissenschaft, medien und öffentlichkeit.Weilerswist: Velbrück, 2005. p. 102-122.
WILHITE, A. W.; FONG, E. A. Coercive citation in academic publishing. Science, Washington, v. 335, n. 6068, p. 542-543, 2012. Disponível em: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1212540. Acesso em: 1 dez. 2023.
WHITE, H. Authors as citers over time. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, New York, v. 52, n. 2, p. 85-184, 2001. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1542>3.0.CO;2-T. Acesso em: 10 fev. 2024.
WREN, J. D.; GEORGESCU, C. Detecting potential reference list manipulation within a citation network. BioRxiv: the preprint server for Biology, New York, 13 Aug. 2020. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.12.248369. Acesso em: 10 fev. 2024.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Dr. José Augusto Chaves Guimarães, Drª Carla Mara Hilário, Drª Maria Cláudia Cabrini Grácio
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors will keep their copyright and grant the journal with the right of first publication, the work licensed under License Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0), which allows for the sharing of work and the recognition of authorship.
Authors can take on additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal, such as publishing in an institutional repository, acknowledging its initial publication in this journal.
The articles are open access and free. In accordance with the license, you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
