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A few days ago I saw an advertisement that claimed that they could write and publish Q1-Q4 (Q: Quartile) Research paper (with various prices e.g. 200$-500$) in less than 6 months and sell it to anyone (as the author of that paper) who wants a Research paper like last year PhD students, academic peoples, M.Sc. students, etc.

Q1: I wonder how it is possible that they are so confident that their paper will be published in less than 3-6 months?

Q2: How it is possible to buy and publish a Q1 Research paper?

Q3: Does this count as plagiarism?

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  • 3
    What is a “Q1” paper?
    – Dan Romik
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 16:48
  • 3
    @DanRomik I presume a paper in a Q1 journal, i.e., one in the first quartile of a certain ranking.
    – Federico Poloni
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 17:09
  • 3
    @AnonymousPhysicist no, it was a genuine question. I must have missed those discussions.
    – Dan Romik
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 8:22
  • 1
    I didn’t know what it meant either. No one reads every post here.
    – Noah Snyder
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 13:57
  • 3
    @DanRomik Lucky the people who need to ask, that's all I am saying.
    – Captain Emacs
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 20:59

2 Answers 2

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  1. This sounds like a scam, so I doubt you'll get whatever they promise
  2. It's possible (though unlikely and unethical) for anyone capable of producing the research to exchange money for an edited author list, but the problem of finding a buyer in the same area of your expertise is not trivial and probably doesn't make for a profitable strategy unless... See above
  3. Absolutely yes. It's plagiarism to claim someone else's work as your own, even if you pay them for it.
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    @C.F.G No one who tried the service would likely complain publicly for the fear of then being charged of academic misconduct by their university or community.
    – Massimo Ortolano
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 14:57
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    @C.F.G What stops them from taking any published paper and say they produced it?
    – Bryan Krause ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 16:41
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    @C.F.G You're going to follow up with the author "Hey, did you pay someone $500 to write this for you?" That's an accusation of major misconduct. "they don't tell the exact paper title and author name" - then they haven't shown you anything they can produce. I can't tell if you are just trolling here, but this is an obvious, obvious scam.
    – Bryan Krause ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 17:48
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    Anyone can write a paper if someone else has already done the research. This is called "ghostwriting". Pharmaceutical companies are often guilty of this (although it costs much more than $500 and the actual writer is still on the author list). But no one has go from zero to a published Q1 paper in three months, including coming up with the research topic, doing the research and submitting the paper. Its just not possible to do so reliably. And anyone who could would be a superstar academic and make much more than $500 for it.
    – Ian Sudbery
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 17:57
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    'probably doesn't make for a profitable strategy' It'd be fairer to say that the business model depends on the same prerequisite as essay mills for undergraduate assignments, that there exists a ghostwriter who is sufficiently more skilled than the client (in the client's own discipline) that the arrangement works, yet whose labour is valued so low that the client can afford to hire them. I've occasionally wondered whether students who use essay mills go on to subcontract the work they're assigned in their graduate jobs on a similar basis; this question seems to indicate the answer is "yes".
    – Daniel Hatton
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 22:33
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Yes, certainly it would be plagiarism. And no one can guarantee publishing in a quality journal. So it is just false advertising. Let the buyer beware.

I also suspect that any buyer would be caught out.

But you can try to sell most things, whether it is ethical or not. Few laws would counter it.

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  • But they convincing the applicant by showing the older customers paper.
    – C.F.G
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 14:43
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    @C.F.G that is their claim, but why would you believe scammers?
    – Maarten Buis
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 17:30
  • "And no one can guarantee publishing in a quality journal." That's obviously wrong. The guarantee can be "We guarantee we will publish in X or you get your money back."
    – Anonymous Physicist
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 8:14
  • @AnonymousPhysicist, hmmm. no, it is actually correct. You suggest something entirely different, thank you very much.
    – Buffy
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 9:42
  • What do you think "guarantee" means, then?
    – Anonymous Physicist
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 10:43

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