[Scientific integrity faces plagiarism fabricated with the ChatGPT]

Area of Science:

• Research Integrity
• Scientific Ethics
• Academic Publishing

Context:

• Plagiarism presents evolving challenges to research integrity, with various forms complicating identification.
• Fraud and plagiarism are primary drivers of article retractions across traditional and open access journals.
• Higher retraction rates in Latin American databases (LILACS, Scielo) are linked to cultural factors and language barriers.

Purpose:

• To highlight the multifaceted nature of plagiarism and its impact on scientific publishing.
• To discuss the role of technology, such as AI tools, in both facilitating and combating plagiarism.
• To emphasize the critical importance of proper attribution in maintaining research ethics.

Summary:

• Plagiarism, encompassing text, ideas, images, and data appropriation without credit, is a significant threat to research integrity.
• Advanced plagiarism, including AI-assisted paraphrasing, surpasses traditional copy-paste methods, contributing to a rise in retracted publications.
• Technological advancements like ChatGPT pose new plagiarism risks, leading reputable journals to ban AI authorship and reinforce the need for ethical conduct.

Impact:

• Increased awareness of sophisticated plagiarism tactics and their consequences for scientific literature.
• Reinforced emphasis on ethical research practices, particularly proper citation and attribution.
• Understanding the cultural and linguistic factors influencing plagiarism rates in different academic regions.