A recent symposium took place in South Korea to address critical issues faced by academics in their research and publication processes. Organized by Knowledge-Shared Solidarity, the annual symposium focused on the theme of 'Researching in Korea' and aimed to shed light on the challenges faced by emerging researchers in the country.
During the event, the discussions revolved around various problems outlined in the book 'Doctoral in South Korea,' authored by Korean researchers. The symposium served as a platform for honest discussions and an in-depth examination of the realities of academic production and distribution structures within South Korea's research community.
One notable presentation was delivered by Dr. Kim Byung-joon from the KAIST Digital Humanities and Social Science Center. Dr. Kim provided a quantitative analysis of the publication practices of an academic journal referred to as Journal A. Last year, this journal faced cancellation following an inspection conducted by the Korea Research Foundation. Dr. Kim criticized Journal A for its subpar quality and highlighted the issue of excessive publication quantity over quality, a phenomenon he referred to as 'thesis factoryization.'
Another significant concern raised by Dr. Kim was the practice of 'recurring submission.' Journal A allowed contributors, including editorial board members, to repeatedly publish papers on the same topic, which went against accepted societal conventions. This practice led to a repetition of publication by the same researchers and raised questions about the integrity of the journal.
The symposium also delved into the problematic relationship between reputable journals (referred to as 'incarble') and 'mass publishing' journals. It was observed that authors from Journal A and specific 'mass publishing' journals formed networks by extensively citing each other's work. However, several of these 'mass publishing' journals had faced rejection by the Korea Research Foundation due to a regulation against forming a 'closed citation network.' This finding raised concerns about the overall quality and credibility of research being produced in this network.
The existence of poor-quality journals, similar to Journal A, and the structural flaws within the Korean academic community were recognized as ongoing issues. Dr. Kim emphasized the need for researchers to critically evaluate the quality of journals and encouraged them not to solely rely on being listed under the Korean Research Foundation.
Another speaker, Ko Chan-mi from the Central Research Institute of Korean Studies, discussed the reasons behind the trend of Korean humanities and social science researchers producing English papers and its impact on their academic careers. Researchers in universities receive incentives for publishing SCI-level papers, which significantly affects their evaluation and university rankings based on internationalization indicators. However, Ko highlighted the lack of readership and citations for these English papers, both domestically and internationally. It was noted that most domestic journals in the field ranked poorly, indicating a gap between production quantity and impact.
The symposium also addressed the challenges faced by the domestic academic community in terms of international communication and academic exchange. Ko emphasized the need for practical preparations within the community, including the establishment of standardized academic terms and a more balanced approach to research in Korean and writing English theses. Additionally, the creation of open platforms to provide domestic English papers to international users was suggested as a viable solution.
Kim Wan-jong, the head of the Open Access Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, focused on the impact of the 'open access movement' and proposed strategies to address suspected journals engaged in questionable practices. Kim emphasized the importance of qualitative evaluation of academic activities, alongside open peer reviews, to ensure the integrity and credibility of research.
The symposium also featured presentations by Dr. Song-hee from Korea University and Yoo Hyun-mi from Changwon University, the co-authors of the book 'Doctoraling in South Korea.' They summarized the arguments presented in their work and proposed alternatives for restructuring the academic governance system and fostering solidarity among researchers. Their suggestions included creating various communication channels that connect universities, academia, the government, and society. They emphasized the need for active participation in shaping academic policies and institutions to drive positive change.
Dr. Park Seo-hyun from Jeju University drew attention to the emergence of an independent academic community outside traditional university structures, referred to as the 'Academic Commons.' Dr. Park highlighted the importance of building a supportive academic ecosystem to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The symposium was organized by Knowledge-Shared Solidarity and hosted at the House of Knowledge-Shared Researchers, Minkyohyup 2.0, in collaboration with various experts and professionals in the field. The discussions were led by Cheon Jeong-hwan and Park Bae-gyun, co-CEOs of Knowledge-Shared Solidarity, providing a valuable platform for dialogue and reflection on the challenges faced by South Korean academics.
