Ethics in Academic Research: Who Is Responsible for Unethical Practices—AI, Scholars, Editors, or Institutions?

Abstract

This study investigates the pervasive issue of unethical practices in academic research, particularly in light of the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into research methodologies. Educational institutions, editors, and scholarly communities have pressured scholars through the "publish or perish" system to engage in widespread research misconduct involving authorship tampering and bad AI tool usage. The research gathers data through qualitative methods from a sample of 30 participants who represent university professors, graduate students, journal editors, and support employees from different disciplines across multiple geographic areas. Institutional practices base decision-making on publication metrics instead of ethical standards, thus creating an environment that encourages unethical behaviors. Academic publishing demands immediate reform because stakeholders collude through payment schemes fueling unethical editorial practices. However, the research shows insufficiencies because its limited sample size and qualitative approach reduce the scope of evidence validity. Additional studies need to adopt quantitative research methods to confirm the presented findings and evaluate institutional programs aiming to enhance research integrity. The research shows how AI interacts with individual conduct and institutional requirements to create new knowledge in academic ethics accountability, thus making meaningful contributions to current academic discussions.

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