Massive Articles Published on "Frroelectrics" and "Integrated Ferroelectrics" Fall Outside the Journals' Scope
A current investigation reveals that two Taylor & Francis journals, namely "Frroelectrics" and "Integrated Ferroelectrics", published massive articles which fall outside their scope.
The official website of "Frroelectrics" states that the journal is "designed to provide a forum for people working in ferroelectrics and related materials such as ferroelastics, ferroelectric-ferromagnetics, electrooptics, piezoelectrics, pyroelectrics, nonlinear dielectrics, and liquid crystals" and the website of "Integrated Ferroelectrics" also states that the journal "provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for electronic engineers and physicists as well as process and systems engineers, ceramicists, and chemists who are involved in research, design, development, manufacturing and utilization of integrated ferroelectric devices ... Such devices unite ferroelectric films and semiconductor integrated circuit chips". However, a recent investigation finds that "Frroelectrics" and "Integrated Ferroelectrics" have published 171 and 137, respectively, off-scope articles. Please find the Supporting Information for more details.
Those off-scope articles were published between 2021 and 2023. The authors of them are exclusively from China, with three exception: two articles include coauthor(s) from Ukraine, and one article includes coauthor(s) from Russia. Those articles span diverse fields, including medicine, structural materials, metallurgical processing, and computer science. Yet none of them falls within the journals' core domain of ferroelectric materials. They even lack engagement with dielectric, piezoelectric, or pyroelectric properties which define the journals' scope. A further investigation is currently underway to identify patterns among those off-scope publications.
The 5GH Team checked the titles of the articles, which were published on the two journals during 2021 and 2024, and found the above mentioned off-scope articles. Articles from specific issues and/or conferences collections were excluded. The team wants to address that it was not a cross-sectional analysis, and there may be more off-scope articles were not identified.
Such large numbers of off-scope publications suggest that the two journals, "Frroelectrics" and "Integrated Ferroelectrics", may be targeted by paper mill, and that some editors may got involved in unethical practices. Therefore, the 5GH Team urges the publisher to open an investigation on these matters.
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