“Phenomenon of Research Ghostwriting for Professorship Still Widespread, Academic Community Speaks Out”

In Indonesia, academia is currently under sharp scrutiny due to the rampant duplication and plagiarism issues. Not only students but also several lecturers have been implicated in unethical practices to attain the highest academic title: Professor.

This phenomenon has drawn serious attention from academics, including the Deans of Social and Political Sciences Faculties (FISIP) and Chairpersons of Social and Political Sciences Colleges (STISIP) across Indonesia (FK-DKISIP).

The Chair of FK-DKISIP emphasized that becoming a professor remains the ultimate goal for most university lecturers. Unfortunately, many are tempted to take shortcuts by using ghostwriting services or plagiarizing academic works.

“Becoming a professor is the dream of many lecturers. However, we are concerned that some still choose unethical methods. We can only remind them, not impose sanctions,” he stated during the opening of The 4th International Conference on Social, Politics, Administration and Communication Science (ICOSPACS) 2025, held from July 29–31, 2025, at Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 (Untag) Surabaya.

This prestigious event was organized by FK-DKISIP in collaboration with FISIP Untag Surabaya as the host. Under the theme “Nationalism Beyond Borders: Navigating Challenges of the Digital Era in Social and Political Sciences,” ICOSPACS 2025 emphasized the importance of integrity in academic publishing amid the challenges of the digital age.

The conference was not just a platform for presenting research but also a space for scholarly accountability. Every submitted paper had to be based on authentic research—whether fieldwork or literature studies—and checked using plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin, with a maximum similarity threshold of 25%.

“We want to ensure that all published works are original. Lecturers must write before their ideas are claimed by others,” stressed the Chair.

A total of 96 academic papers were presented at the conference, with participants from 55 higher education institutions across Indonesia. Of these, 58 attended virtually, while 38 were present in person at Untag Surabaya. In addition to lecturers, the event was attended by students, practitioners, public officials, and business professionals.

One of the key outputs of the conference was publication in the form of e-book proceedings, nationally accredited SINTA 2–4 journals, and reputable international journals indexed by Scopus.

The Chair of the Organizing Committee added that ICOSPACS plays a crucial role as a platform for collaboration and expanding academic networks across disciplines and institutions.

“We hope that in the future, this conference will attract not only academics but also more practitioners and policymakers. The culture of research and writing should expand across all sectors,” he said.