Safeguarding Research Integrity
The rising demands on researchers to publish, fueled by competition for funding and the expanding global research landscape, present a mounting challenge for publishers. In this dynamic environment, the proliferation of digital tools further complicates matters as journals strive to attract top-tier authors and reviewers.
Trust in research begins with trust in the publishing process. At KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd., we support research integrity through a unified platform that combines expert-led review, automated checks, and integrated tools to help publishers detect risk early and improve the quality of scholarly communication.
Detect Misconduct and Ensure Quality
KGL is committed to proactively developing and continuing to invest in the creation of industry-leading technologies and services for the early detection of a range of threats. By combining experience and support from peer review through content preparation and electronic deliverables, we have developed technologies and content solutions to safeguard research integrity.
Smart Review™ is KGL’s editorial integrity platform—combining AI-powered screening, human oversight, and seamless integration with trusted tools like Clear Skies, DataSeer, and ImageTwin. It enables faster editorial triage, greater transparency, and a stronger foundation for reproducibility.
Smart Review connects directly with best-in-class partners:
Clear Skies – papermill detection via Papermill Alarm
DataSeer – checks for data/code availability and reuse, ensures research transparency and supports reproducibility of research
ImageTwin – identifies manipulated or duplicated figures
Standard procedure for our global peer review team includes checks for a variety of risks:
- Author verification
- Institution verification
- Conflict-of-interest checks
- Unusual activity detection
- Plagiarism checks
- Data repository vetting
- Image, video, audio file checks
- Ethics and reporting standards
To help publishers further extend their teams for audit processes and investigations, a premium Research Integrity Service is offered that includes the following advanced checks:
- Automated institution checks
- Duplicate submissions
- Papermills
- Tortuous, AI-generated phrases
- Ethical issues investigation and resolution
Identify Image Manipulation
KGL’s Image Forensics solution takes the guesswork out of image integrity by evaluating images for suspect manipulation. The process uses specialized image analysis techniques to detect image manipulation or duplication in supplied grayscale or color halftone images.
Keeping It Real
Our graphics and image forensics specialists preflight and analyze all eligible images submitted with a manuscript and generate a report that identifies and explains any suspect or obvious image manipulation. The report is then sent immediately to the publisher for their staff to evaluate the results and then follow their established integrity protocols. The reports are presented as a PDF with “before” and “after” images, including a magnified image of the suspect area. We also use red zones to identify the suspect areas and insert descriptions to explain the items in question. Links to the high-resolution images are provided to the publisher for more in-depth review purposes.
KGL’s methods for performing image forensics on submitted images have been refined from almost 20 years of experience in this field of analysis. Our current techniques include a combination of carefully chosen software-based solutions, like ImageTwin for image duplication detection, and a series of advanced visual checks by highly trained graphics specialists to flag other suspect manipulation.
We continue to research and add software-based solutions to our process as the explosive growth of AI generative tools introduces new challenges for the image forensics service. Publishers can trust that KGL’s image forensics experts are working to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to image integrity and helping to protect the business and reputation of our clients.
To find out how KGL can help you protect the integrity of your journal content or to book a demo of Smart Review, please click below to speak to an editorial integrity specialist.
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