Challenges in Evaluating Mathematical Research

Scientific research in mathematics is facing new challenges due to the increasing reliance on commercial indicators to assess research quality. This article explores these challenges, their impact on the scientific community, and recommendations for addressing this issue.

Commercial Evaluation of Scientific Research

The quality assessment of mathematical research increasingly depends on commercial indicators such as the number of publications and citations researchers receive, as well as factors like the impact factor of scientific journals. These indicators are calculated in a non-transparent manner by commercial data providers, who use them to boost global sales of their databases.

These commercial indicators are highly significant for individuals and institutions, as they lead to improved university rankings, better funding opportunities, and the attraction of more international students through higher tuition fees. However, this system results in an increase in publications aimed solely at boosting these indicators without offering any new scientific results or even containing errors.

Fake Publications and Their Implications

Some fraudulent companies offer services to enhance these indicators for a fee. Additionally, there are large journals that publish any content as long as the authors pay, leading to a number of articles that exceed those published by reputable scientific journals.

A study showed that Clarivate Inc, a leading company in indicator calculation, reported in 2019 that the university with the most prestigious mathematics researchers was a university in Taiwan, despite not offering mathematics courses there. This highlights the false reliance on these indicators.

Recommendations and Risks

The study described this phenomenon as “pseudo-science” posing a threat to science and society, making it difficult to distinguish between what is true and what is false. This weakens trust in science and makes it challenging for researchers to identify reliable results for future research.

Professor Christoph Sorger, Secretary-General of the International Mathematical Union, and Professor Jörg Kramer, President of the German Mathematical Society, recommended the need to change the current system to improve the quality of scientific research.

Conclusion

The excessive reliance on commercial indicators to evaluate scientific research harms the quality of scientific output in mathematics and makes it difficult to differentiate between genuine and fake research. Joint efforts are required to develop a more transparent and objective system for evaluating research, ensuring the continued advancement and progress of science.