Governments and funding bodies in several countries are implementing stricter penalties for researchers found guilty of malpractice, as instances of misconduct rise globally. These measures include financial penalties, grant restrictions, and institutional ranking adjustments.
These reforms are being enacted as research misconduct increases worldwide. An audit in May revealed that the rate of fabricated citations in biomedical papers was 12 times higher in 2025 than in 2023. A separate analysis of 33,000 cancer studies identified suspected paper-mill activity in approximately 12% of them.
Historically, addressing research misconduct has been a “bottom-up” effort, relying on journal retractions, university investigations, and independent organizations like Retraction Watch. However, a growing movement, particularly in countries with developing research systems, is shifting towards a “top-down” approach. Funders and governments are now increasingly restricting grant access and opportunities for scientists accused of integrity violations, covering issues like plagiarism, data falsification, image manipulation, and peer-review fraud.
Elisabeth Bik, an independent research-integrity consultant based in the San Francisco Bay area, California, supports the implementation of these penalties. “In order to tackle misconduct, there needs to be some type of sanction,” she says. “If there wasn’t the chance of getting a ticket, we’d all be speeding. There is fierce competition in science, and if people who cheat get better papers, then why not cheat yourself? We need to see that car being pulled over to warn other people.” Bik explains that universities are often hesitant to penalize their own researchers due to concerns about reputational damage, stating, “Universities don’t do a great job in holding people accountable. It needs to be done by institutions with teeth.”
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), one of India’s largest research funders, introduced new rules in May requiring grant applicants to disclose any prior instances of retracted papers.
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