A scientific paper by two Vietnamese lecturers was recently retracted due to a breach of academic integrity: they published student research without crediting the contributors. This case stands out among the many retractions in Vietnam over the past several years, as the specific reason for the withdrawal was clearly disclosed, which is rare.
The retracted paper, titled "Influences of environment perception and social media communication via brand loyalty on the intention to buy green products among Vietnamese youth," was published on 28/4/2023. The International Journal of Applied Economics, Finance and Accounting (IJAEFA), which published the article, identified its authors as lecturers from FPT University (Da Nang campus) and HUTECH.
IJAEFA stated that one of the authors admitted dishonesty, having published student research without crediting their authorship. The journal, which was previously listed in Scopus, a reputable database for scientific papers, has not been part of this group since 2024.
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The article published in IJAEFA has been stamped "Retracted". *Screenshot*
Responding to VnExpress on 23/1, HUTECH stated that it had worked with the lecturer involved. Verification confirmed that the paper resulted from individual collaboration and was not part of any research project or task managed or assigned by HUTECH. The lecturer did not declare the paper during evaluation, merit review, or professional activities.
"HUTECH always upholds ethical standards and integrity in scientific research, regularly reminding lecturers to comply with regulations on scientific publication and authorship," the university stated.
An associate professor of economics in Hanoi noted that there are no specific standards for listing authors in scientific papers. Typically, the person with the most significant contribution is listed as the first author. In groups including both lecturers and students, the lecturer often takes the role of first author, handling many tasks from generating ideas to revising the paper, selecting, and contacting journals. Students with significant contributions become corresponding authors. Both are principal authors.
In another scenario, a paper might involve a group of 5-7 students. However, only 2-3 main contributors from this group are listed in the author section, while the rest are acknowledged in the acknowledgments section for supporting the research.
"Regardless of the method, students who significantly participate in the research process must be named in the author group of the paper," he said.
Duong Tam
