“Paper Mills: Why Higher Education Institutions Should Avoid Dubious Partnerships”
On 18 June 2025, DOAJ, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES), organized a high-impact webinar addressing the growing problem of paper mills. The event was co-hosted by EASE Ukraine Regional Chapter, with technical support kindly provided by the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine (SSTL). The webinar was moderated by Iryna Kuchma, EIFL’s leading expert in open access and scholarly communication.
The session was opened by Hryhoriy Mozolevych, Director General of the Directorate of Science Development at MON, who emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to fostering open science in Ukraine and tackling predatory practices.
The keynote speaker, Professor Emeritus Dorothy Bishop (University of Oxford), delivered a compelling talk entitled “Paper Mills: Industrial-Scale Pollution of Academic Literature—What They Are and How We Can Stop Them.” She explained how paper mills operate, how to identify their output, and what institutions and researchers can do to prevent collaboration with such actors, providing concrete examples and strategies. Her presentation sparked lively engagement and a dynamic discussion among participants.
Further, Iemima Ploscariu and Yuliia Hartman, DOAJ Managing Editors, presented a DOAJ case study on detected paper mills, elaborating on the DOAJ criteria and best practices for identifying suspicious publishing activity.
Artem Artiukhov, Coordinator of the Ukrainian Office of Research Integrity and Chair of the Ethics Committee of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance, contributed valuable insights into the phenomenon of “scientific consulting” services and their ethical risks.
Iryna Izarova, Chair of EASE Ukraine, presented the EASE recommendations for editors and researchers on recognizing and avoiding predatory publishing practices.
The event attracted more than 300 active participants out of nearly 700 registrants, reflecting enormous interest in the topic. The central aim of the webinar was to raise awareness among universities and research integrity officers about the risks of collaborating with paper mills and to draw the Ministry’s attention to this issue at the institutional level.
The session concluded with a presentation by Pavlo Usenko, Project Lead for Open Science in Ukraine, who showcased ethical alternatives and trustworthy providers for researchers. A vibrant final discussion underscored the urgent relevance of the issue and the academic community’s determination to address it.
👉 The strong turnout and engagement demonstrate both the urgency of the problem and the community’s commitment to building resilience against unethical publishing practices.
This event is a clear testament to positive changes. On its path to EU integration, Ukraine is actively promoting the ideas of academic integrity, and the recent first-ever regulation by the Ministry of Education and Science on the issue of predatory publishing has become an important signal for the entire academic community. Such initiatives help to build a transparent and ethical academic environment.
The steps taken so far are just the starting point; the academic community can expect further news and progress as Ukraine continues to advance its integration with the European research area.
Written by
Yuliia Hartman
PhD Student in Law at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Managing Editor at Access to Justice in Eastern Europe Journal
Member of East European Law Research Center
Member of Ukrainian Chapter of European Association of Science Editors