Recently, a report published in Bengali daily showing that some internationally reputed journals have retracted several scholarly works conducted by Bangladeshi authors came to our research community as a bolt from the blue. These papers showed the names of students, faculty members and professors from different renowned universities across the country. It is known that the retraction of each paper arises from its own reasons, but the inner message is crystal clear: the genuineness of research depends not only on the novelty of the ideas but also on the transparency of the full process utilised to conduct them. At present, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has restructured academic writing as well as research work. Therefore, Bangladesh must move forward to promote the country’s culture of intellectual protection, academic ethics and sustainable innovation.
The term ‘retraction’ does not indicate only evidence of intellectual misconduct. It shows a significant function by correcting the academic data when more serious concerns arise in a paper regarding the fundamental violations of research integrity. However, before publishing any scholarly work in a particular journal, it is the duty of the publishers to evaluate the submitted manuscript to determine whether it is publishable or not. To make this process smoother, some of the journals have employed AI tools, implemented stricter editorial policies and broadened investigations into publication ethics.
Interestingly, AI is being blamed by many of us in this incident. But from idea generation to final publication, AI cannot be considered as the villain because it can boost research work by generating ideas, identifying research gaps, reviewing literature and evaluating different data sets in the blink of an eye. But the issue arises when these facilities overlap with human intellect. If a researcher fully relies on AI tools without verifying the data will not be benefitted from such advanced technologies; rather, it can be considered that academic credibility is being dominated by AI tools.
Here comes the concept of Intellectual Property (IP) law, which covers more than plagiarism; for instance, copyright, a part of IP law, deals with the violation of original artistic works. However, the law does not protect ideas that were never created by the person who claimed them.
In scholarly work, the concept of ‘ownership’ and ‘originality’ seems similar but crucial. Imagine a situation where AI tools become the main creator of a scholarly work while a human claims its authorship, without significant intellectual effort; basic questions arise: who owns the work? For any misinformation, who should be accountable?
Most of the universities depend on published research to evaluate the promotion of a professional; while governments mostly depend on academic research to enact policy. If confidence in academic research becomes fragile, the impacts extend beyond individual careers. These weaken institutional reputation, reduce international acceptance as well as funding opportunities, and destroy a country’s standing ground in the transnational knowledge economy.
Undoubtedly, in recent years, commendable progress in expanding higher education and increasing research output has been made by Bangladesh. The number of researchers publishing in internationally indexed journals has rapidly grown. However, here lies the risk because greater visibility also requires greater scrutiny. Modern AI detection tools, sophisticated plagiarism detection systems, etc. have been employed by international publishers. The recent retractions involving Bangladeshi researchers should, therefore, be considered not as a national embarrassment but as a warning that academic achievement requires equally robust systems of accountability.
Unfortunately, Bangladesh is not fully ready yet to comply with this rapid technological advancement. While the Copyright Act, 2023, considered the latest law related to IP protection, recognises human authorship, it leaves a vague area for AI-based creation. Most of the universities in our country follow outdated policies to prevent plagiarism. Some of these rules were incorporated long before AI tools did not interfere to classrooms and laboratories.
Different transnational organisations have already started to address these issues. For instance, the UNESCO has recommended ethical regulations for AI tools in the area of education and research. Many journals have made it clear in their policies that researchers have to declare the use of AI tools in their paper from preparation to submission. These transformations indicate a core principle: transparency is the ultimate response, not prohibition.
To establish an authentic research community, Bangladesh can follow a similar approach. At first, it is most important for the universities to incorporate a specific AI policy for the researchers, including both the students and faculty members. An institutional ethics committee can work as a game changer in preventing academic misconduct. But they need to be prepared. Therefore, specialised training must be ensured by the authority for institutional ethics committee members, especially on the uses of AI.
Second, the promotion of faculty members works as an important factor here. The promotion criteria should not be based only on the number of publications, but rather on the quality and integrity of the research work. If it is necessary, universities should reform their policies in this regard.
Third, a fundamental quality of a researcher is ethical soundness. Before being a researcher, a person should adopt this quality. It should be remembered that technological advancement can only boost a person’s work, not the level of critical thinking.
Moreover, in our country, IP law deserves greater attention. Many researchers prioritize only methodological training but have little knowledge about IP laws. Consequently, most of them are not conscious enough to protect another person’s intellectual property.
Bangladesh’s aspiration to build a knowledge-based economy relies not just on doing more research but also on creating quality works that can build worldwide confidence. Authorship transparency, intellectual property protection and ethical AI governance are lies on the same area and collectively they can create the foundation of genuine intellectual works in this digital era. We should bear in mind that technology may boost our working process but authenticity always remains a distinct human responsibility.
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The writer is legal researcher and former Lecturer, Department of Law and Human Rights, University of Asia Pacific
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