Distinguishing the genuine from the fake in South African universities: Scholarly awards, books and academic credibility

Abstract

Significance:
Universities and their academics are faced with increasing pressure to contribute to knowledge. These pressures produce conditions for shortcuts and, worse, the production of unreliable research that has little value. This is the world of the fake, where universities are corrupted and their integrity undermined. We argue that the scholarly book that reflects deep thinking and major commitments of time, energy and resource is a counterweight to the temptations offered by short, quick and often shallow outputs processed in predatory journals and often rewarded by national and university publication incentives.