In the media

Algeria plans a national AI-powered plagiarism detection system for universities and research institutions, integrating SNDL and university library portals. Between 2018–2025, 50 Algerian papers were retracted (6.3 per year), while globally, around 0.08% of publications are withdrawn annually. By January 2026, the system will access major databases, detect complex plagiarism, and could serve as a model for Africa, promoting academic integrity and research transparency.

Kenya is a major hub for academic ghostwriting, with an estimated 40,000 shadow scholars in Nairobi alone, producing essays, dissertations, and coursework for international students. Earnings range from under 1 GBP per page to thousands of pounds for dissertations. Despite the 2022 ban on essay mills in the UK, ghostwriting practices persist, now increasingly intertwined with generative AI.

South Africa’s Academy of Science has released a revised 2025 Code of Best Practice in Scholarly Journal Publishing, addressing AI misuse, peer-review ethics, open access, data transparency, and diversity. The code strengthens editorial independence, accountability, and integrity, aiming to curb predatory publishing, plagiarism, and unethical authorship. Stakeholders describe it as a blueprint for credibility and a safeguard for research trust.

Ghanaian universities face new research paper retractions in top international journals, following nearly 1,000 removals last year. The articles, initially peer-reviewed and indexed by leading global institutions, are now marked as compromised, highlighting fake credentials, ethical lapses, and peer review issues, intensifying “publish or perish” pressures and calls for stronger higher education oversight.

Artificial intelligence is now scanning academic literature for fraud, plagiarism, and errors on a large scale. Tools like Image Twin and Proofing detect manipulated images, while others flag ghostwriting and fake citations. A global AI-powered audit could soon expose widespread scientific flaws. Experts warn that such revelations may erode public trust, unless the scientific community leads the reform and communicates transparently.

The Hanoi University of Science and Technology has introduced comprehensive regulations on academic integrity. These regulations apply to all members of the university community, including officials, civil servants, lecturers, and students. Decision 12160/QD-DHBK emphasizes the importance of respecting others' ideas, avoiding plagiarism, and adhering to ethical standards in scientific research. It prohibits the buying and selling of research results and prohibits the misuse of power or resources to gain unfair advantages in research endeavors. The university also enforces integrity standards in research and training collaborations, ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights agreements. A Scientific Integrity Advisory Council has been established to assess violations, with disciplinary actions ranging from internal sanctions to legal consequences depending on the severity of the offense.

A recently published survey study of PhD students in Denmark reveals that an ethically questionable culture for assigning authorships to research papers is widespread within the medical and natural sciences across Europe. 49% of the PhD students in medical sciences had granted guest authorship to a person in power while 42% were in the natural and technical sciences.