Ghost Authorship, Guest Authorship, and Insider Peer Review: Unveiling Ethical Gaps and Loopholes in Academic Publishing
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates ethical vulnerabilities in scholarly publishing, focusing on ghost authorship, guest authorship, and insider peer review, with special attention to identifying how power asymmetries influence scholary publishing integrity and authorship transparency. Employing a phenomenological approach, the study captures and highlights the lived experiences of journal editors across disciplines, particularly Business and Management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed to identify patterns of ethical concern and institutional responses. Participants reported recurring ethical breaches driven by publication pressures, lack of professional integrity, and the absence of standardized accountability. The study highlights the limitations in current authorship norms and peer review practices, identifying a need for equity-focused reforms such as the CRediT taxonomy, anonymized peer review, and editorial audit trails. This research contributes to the literature by centering editorial perspectives and proposing a framework for ethical reform. It calls for longitudinal, mixed-methods studies and inclusive policies to promote epistemic justice and strengthen institutional trust in academic publishing.
Authors: Md Sajjad Hosain, Rupam Chowdhury
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7164890117