Unbreakable evidence would have to be presented that such a thing is actually being done (in the sense of unethical voucher trading). I don't think that the schemes described represent any widespread phenomenon. But where there is demand, there is supply. Incidentally, I recently found something similar in the spam box. A university in a developing country was offering "subsidies" for articles if the author would enter into a contract with the university and indicate his or her affiliation with the university in his or her articles. Legally this is probably perfectly fine, but I doubt very much the ethics of such an offer.

I will present a third scheme (a variant of scheme #1). The editor/reviewer will offer vouchers with an expiration date to colleagues with whom he or she works closely. And because he or she knows their work very well (works closely with them), he or she can be involved in the preparation or editing of the manuscript being worked on, even though he or she has not been involved in the research itself. Thus, such an editor/reviewer was more or less significantly involved in the preparation of the manuscript. This can no longer be described as fully unethical behaviour.

Another angle to consider is the currently widespread Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CREDIT). At least two roles "Funding acquisition" and "Writing - review & editing" can be applied to the schemes described. As long as authors correctly list the roles by CREDIT, this also cannot be considered fully unethical behaviour.

For this topic I found interesting mail in my spam box from [email protected]

Dear friend, Greetings! I apologize for the inconvenience caused by this email. I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to communicate with you. I came across your contact information in the journal and I am interested in publishing some papers in the same journal. I kindly request your assistance in this matter and I am willing to offer you a token of gratitude. For instance, if you include my name in your articles, I will provide you with a thank you fee. I understand that this email may come across as presumptuous, but I have a need to publish numerous papers every year. If you are willing to assist me, we can establish a long-term cooperation. I assure you that I am sincere in my request. If my email has offended you in any way, please accept my apologies. I eagerly await your response. Warm regards, Claire E-mail: [email protected]

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