Multi-affiliation: a growing problem of scientific integrity

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed a substantial increase in the number of affiliations listed by individual authors of scientific papers. Some authors now list an astonishing number of institutions, sometimes exceeding 20, 30, or more. This trend raises concerns regarding the genuine scientific contributions these authors make at each institution they claim to be affiliated with. To address this issue, our study conducted a comprehensive regional analysis of the growth of both domestic and international multi-affiliations over the past decade. Our findings reveal certain countries that have experienced an abnormal surge in international multi-affiliation authorships. Coupled with the high numbers of affiliations involved, this emphasizes the need for careful scrutiny of the actual scientific contributions made by these authors and the importance of safeguarding the integrity of scientific output and networks.