If not kept in check, publication in questionable publishers runs the risk of undermining the scientific goals of a country or collaboration, even if (sometimes because of) there has been an allocation of funds to encourage publication. This University World News piece provides an illustration of this occurring. Yet another ‘good’ example of how incentives to publish can have unintended, negative consequences.
But increased government funding for science, technology and research in many Islamic countries in the past two decades has not been able to make a significant impact.
More recently there has been significant growth in contributions to international journals by members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, which some academics have found has been at the cost of quality and greater reliance…