Journal Policies Research Articles

An international, cross-sectional survey of preprint attitudes among biomedical researchers

Background Preprints are scientific manuscripts that are made available on open-access servers but are not yet peer-reviewed. Although preprints are becoming more prevalent, uptake is not optimal. Understanding researchers’ opinions and attitudes toward preprints is valuable to optimize their use. Understanding knowledge gaps and researchers’ attitudes toward preprinting can assist stakeholders, such as journals, funding agencies, and universities, to use preprints more effectively. Here, we aimed to collect perceptions and behaviours regarding preprints across an international sample of biomedical researchers. Methods Corresponding authors of articles published in biomedical research journals were identified from a random sample of journals from the MEDLINE database. Their names and email addresses were extracted to invite them to our anonymous, cross-sectional survey, which asked participants questions about their knowledge, attitudes, and opinions regarding preprinting. Results The survey was completed by 730 respondents providing a response rate of 3.20% and demonstrated a wide range of attitudes and opinions about preprints with authors from various disciplines and career stages worldwide. Most respondents were familiar with the concept of preprints but most had not previously posted one. The lead author of the project and journal policy had the greatest impact on decisions to post a preprint, whereas employers/research institutes had the least impact. Supporting open science practices was the highest ranked incentive, while increasing authors’ visibility was the highest ranked motivation for publishing preprints. Conclusions Although many biomedical researchers recognize the benefits of preprints, there is still hesitation among others to engage in this practice. This may be due to the general lack of peer review of preprints and little enthusiasm from external organizations such as journals, funding agencies, and universities. Future work is needed to determine optimal ways to improve researchers’ attitudes through modifications to current preprint systems and policies.

Hajj Implementation Policy in Indonesia

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and the most significant number of Hajj pilgrims, reaching 15-25% of the total number of Hajj pilgrims in Arab Studies. The government's primary concern is the implementation of Hajj. This study aims to identify the policy of implementing Hajj in Indonesia. This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach and a literature study. Data were obtained from journal literature, books, and policy documents on implementing Hajj in Indonesia. The results of the study found that the policy of implementing Hajj in Indonesia includes macro, meso, and micro dimensions in the form of Laws, Government Regulations, Presidential Regulations/Presidential Decrees, Regulations of the Minister of Religion, Decrees of the Minister of Religion, and Governor's Decrees. The government and stakeholders organizing Hajj need to use these policies as a reference when implementing Hajj.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and scholarly publishing ethics: A content analysis of journal policies

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have received significant attention since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. People are experimenting with AI technologies in different aspects of daily life, including the use of AI tools in the scholarly writing process. Researchers and journal publishers are debating the impact of AI technologies on the quality and accountability of scholarly works. Indeed, scholarly journals play an important role in the dissemination of research and should be advising authors on the appropriate and acceptable use of AI technologies in scholarly publishing. Yet very few studies have examined how journals are providing AI-related guidance to authors. This work-in-progress (WIP) research explores how scholarly journals advise authors about the use of AI in the scholarly writing process by conducting a content analysis of journal policies. Specifically, the study sample was comprised of the top 20 journals, identified using journal metrics provided by Google Scholar in the following subject areas: STEM, humanities, literature & arts, social sciences, and library and information sciences. Policies from these 80 journals were collected from publicly available websites and then examined in August 2024 to assess how journals are currently providing AI-related guidance to authors. The guiding research questions and content analysis focused on the following aspects: 1) The presence or absence of AI in the journal policy; 2) Definition / examples of AI; 3) Guidance on the use of AI for authors; 4) Guidelines about AI for peer reviewers. In this WIP poster, preliminary findings from the content analysis are presented.

RETRACTION: Oncologic, Fertility, and Obstetric Outcomes With MPA Therapy in Women with Endometrial Cancer and Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia.

A. Takeda , Y. Yamamoto , K. Tamura , H. Aoki , H. Noguchi , S. Minato , S. Kamada , R. Arakaki , T. Kaji , and T. Iwasa , "Oncologic, Fertility, and Obstetric Outcomes With MPA Therapy in Women with Endometrial Cancer and Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia," The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research 50, no. 4 (2024): 633-638, https://doi.org/10.1111/jog.15872. The above article, published online on 28 December 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors; the journal Editor-in-Chief, Hiroaki Kajiyama; and John Wiley & Sons, Australia, Ltd. The retraction has been agreed upon following an investigation into concerns raised by a third party, which revealed major conceptual overlap and significant primary data redundancy with a previously published article by an overlapping group of authors. Such publishing practice is against the journal's policy and Wiley's Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics.

Race and ethnicity representation in phase 2/3 oncology clinical trial publications in the United States: A systematic review.

20 Background: The five 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) races in the US include American Indian or Alaskan Native (AI/AN), Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), and White, with Hispanic ethnicity. Despite the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandating OMB-based collecting/reporting standards, race and ethnicity publishing in medical journals is inconsistent, despite being necessary to achieve health equity. We aimed to quantify race and ethnicity reporting rates and calculate representation quotients (RQs) in published oncology clinical trials. Methods: In this systematic review, PubMed/Embase were queried for phase 2/3 clinical trials of the 6 most common noncutaneous solid malignancies, published between 2012-2022, in 4 high-impact journals. Trial characteristics were recorded. The RQs for each race and ethnicity were calculated by dividing the percent of representation in clinical trial publications by the percent of year-matched, site-specific incident cancers in the US, compared with Kruskal-Wallis tests with Bonferroni Correction (BC). Reporting was compared between journal publications and ClinicalTrials.gov. Results: Among 1,202 publications evaluated, 364 met inclusion criteria: 16 JAMA , 241 JCO , 19 Lancet , and 88 NEJM . Publications included 268,209 patients (171,132 women [64%]), with a median of 356 (IQR, 131-800) patients per publication. Reported race and ethnicity included AI/AN in 52 (14%) publications, Asian in 196 (54%), Black or African American in 215 (59%), Hispanic in 67 (18%), NHPI in 28 (8%), and White in 254 (70%). Median RQ varied across race (P < .001 BC) with 1.04 (IQR, 0.09-4.77) for Asian, 0.98 (IQR, 0.86-1.06) for White, 0.42 (IQR, 0.12-0.75) for Black or African American, and 0.00 (IQR, 0.00-0.00) for both AI/AN and NHPI patients. Sensitivity analyses showed similar findings upon subset analysis for US-only clinical trials. There was significantly less race and ethnicity reporting in the clinical trial publications compared with ClinicalTrials.gov documentation for AI/AN (14% vs 45%, P < .001 per McNemar χ 2 with continuity correction [MC]) and NHPI (7.7% vs 43%; P < .001 MC). Conclusions: While most phase 2/3 oncology clinical trials published in high-impact journals report race and ethnicity, most did not report AI/AN and NHPI racial categories. Our findings support a call to action for consistent journal policies and transparent race and ethnicity reporting, in alignment with ACA-concordant race and ethnicity federal reporting requirements.

Assessing computational reproducibility in Behavior Research Methods

Psychological science has thrived thanks to new methods and innovative practices. Journals, including Behavior Research Methods (BRM), continue to support the dissemination and evaluation of research assets including data, software/hardware, statistical code, and databases of stimuli. However, such research assets rarely allow for computational reproducibility, meaning they are difficult to reuse. Therefore, in this preregistered report, we explore how BRM’s authors and BRM structures shape the landscape of functional research assets. Our broad research questions concern: (1) How quickly methods and analytical techniques reported in BRM can be used and developed further by other scientists; (2) Whether functionality has improved following changes to BRM journal policy in support of computational reproducibility; (3) Whether we can disentangle such policy changes from changes in reproducibility over time. We randomly sampled equal numbers of papers (N = 204) published in BRM before and after the implementation of policy changes. Pairs of researchers recorded how long it took to ensure assets (data, software/hardware, statistical code, and materials) were fully operational. They also coded the completeness and reusability of the assets. While improvements were observed in all measures, only changes to completeness were altered significantly following the policy changes (d = .37). The effects varied between different types of research assets, with data sets from surveys/experiments showing the largest improvements in completeness and reusability. Perhaps more importantly, changes to policy do appear to have improved the life span of research products by reducing natural decline. We conclude with a discussion of how, in the future, research and policy might better support computational reproducibility within and beyond psychological science.

Racism, not race: Quantitative analysis of the use of race and racism in the addiction literature

RationalePrior research has demonstrated that medical journals rarely mention racism, potentially contributing to an incorrect understanding of and inappropriate interventions for health inequities affecting Black and Brown communities in the US. While this infrequency of mentions of racism has been documented in the general medical literature, it is unknown if this pattern extends to the addiction literature, where some have argued that structural racism has played a specific role in shaping policy and treatment. ObjectiveTo assess how frequently the addiction literature for the last 30 years has mentioned race and racism and if these rates vary with social movements. MethodsWe created an algorithm to download and process over 30,000 published articles published from 1990 to 2022 in five major addiction journals: Addiction, Addictive Behaviors, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Journal of Substance Abuse and Treatment, and International Journal of Drug Policy. Using this data, we reported temporal patterns of mentioning both race and racism across journals and article types. Further, we utilized interrupted time series analysis to identify if the social movements against police violence and the murder of George Floyd in 2020 were associated with significant changes in rates of mentioning racism. ResultsWhile over 30% of the articles in addiction medicine journals included the word race, only 1.5% of articles mentioned racism. Based on an interrupted time series model, after the racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, mentions of racism increased in the addiction literature (OR = 3.21, 95% CI: [2.39, 4.32], P<.001). ConclusionsA large chasm remains between how often authors mention race versus racism in addiction medicine, a field with a unique history intertwined with structural racism. Addressing inequities in addiction outcomes, including burgeoning inequities in overdose deaths, will require acknowledging racism in the scientific literature.

Evaluating guideline and registration policies among neurology journals: a cross-sectional analysis

BackgroundNeurological disorders have had a substantial rise the last three decades, imposing substantial burdens on both patients and healthcare costs. Consequently, the demand for high-quality research has become crucial for exploring effective treatment options. However, current neurology research has some limitations in terms of transparency, reproducibility, and reporting bias. The adoption of reporting guidelines (RGs) and trial registration policies has been proven to address these issues and improve research quality in other medical disciplines. It is unclear the extent to which these policies are being endorsed by neurology journals. Therefore, our study aims to evaluate the publishing policies of top neurology journals regarding RGs and trial registration.MethodsFor this cross-sectional study, neurology journals were identified using the 2021 Scopus CiteScore Tool. The top 100 journals were listed and screened for eligibility for our study. In a masked, duplicate fashion, investigators extracted data on journal characteristics, policies on RGs, and policies on trial registration using information from each journal’s Instruction for Authors webpage. Additionally, investigators contacted journal editors to ensure information was current and accurate. No human participants were involved in this study. Our data collection and analyses were performed from December 14, 2022, to January 9, 2023.ResultsOf the 356 neurology journals identified, the top 100 were included into our sample. The five-year impact of these journals ranged from 50.844 to 2.226 (mean [SD], 7.82 [7.01]). Twenty-five (25.0%) journals did not require or recommend a single RG within their Instructions for Authors webpage, and a third (33.0%) did not require or recommend clinical trial registration. The most frequently mentioned RGs were CONSORT (64.6%), PRISMA (52.5%), and ARRIVE (53.1%). The least mentioned RG was QUOROM (1.0%), followed by MOOSE (9.0%), and SQUIRE (17.9%).ConclusionsWhile many top neurology journals endorse the use of RGs and trial registries, there are still areas where their adoption can be improved. Addressing these shortcomings leads to further advancements in the field of neurology, resulting in higher-quality research and better outcomes for patients.

Is orthodontic research falling prey to obscure and predatory journals? A bibliometric study.

To evaluate where orthodontic research papers are published and to explore potential relationships between the journal of publication and the characteristics of the research study and authorship. An online literature search of seven research databases was undertakento identify orthodontic articles published in English language over a 12-month period (1 January-31 December 2022) (last search: 12 June 2023). Data extractedincluded journal, article, and author characteristics. Journallegitimacy was assessed using a ternary classification scheme including available blacklists and whitelists, cross-checking of indexing claims and history of sending unsolicited emails. The level of evidence (LOE) of all included studies was assessed using a modified Oxford LOE classification scale. Univariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to examine possible associations between the level of evidence, journal discipline, and authorship characteristics. A total of 753 studies, published by 246 unique journal titles, were included and further assessed. Nearly two-thirds of orthodontic papers were published in non-orthodontic journals (62.8%) and over half (55.6%) of the articles were published in open-access policy journals. About a fifth of the articles (21.2%) were published either in presumed predatory journals or in journals of uncertain legitimacy. Journal discipline was significantly associated with the level of evidence. Higher-quality orthodontic studies were more likely published in established orthodontic journals (likelihood ratio test P < .001). The identification and classification of predatory journals are challenging due to their covert nature. The majority of orthodontic articles were published in non-orthodontic journals. In addition, approximately one in five orthodontic studies were published in presumed predatory journals or in journals of uncertain legitimacy. Studies with higher levels of evidence were more likely to be published in established orthodontic journals.

Analisis Pengaruh Kebijakan Moneter terhadap Perdagangan Internasional Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the impact of monetary policy on Indonesia's international trade using a literature review approach. The monetary policy implemented by Bank Indonesia, particularly concerning interest rates, inflation, and the exchange rate of the rupiah, significantly affects the performance of international trade. This study collects, evaluates, and synthesizes information from various relevant literature sources, including scholarly journal articles, books, research reports, and policy documents. The findings indicate that interest rates influence the competitiveness of export products through production costs, controlled inflation boosts foreign direct investment flows, and exchange rate stability supports long-term business planning and investment. Effective monetary policy can help create a stable trade environment, enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian products in the global market, and strengthen the country's economic position in the global supply chain.

How do we assess social justice and leadership at institutions? A new study looks at mission statements

A new article in The Journal of Higher Education Policy and Research Studies, “The Complexity of Social Justice and Leadership on Campuses: An Analysis of Institutional Mission Statements,” explores how social justice and leadership function on 40 campuses that include social justice as part of their mission statement.

RETRACTION: Evaluation of Proteome Dynamics: Implications for Statistical Confidence in Mass Spectrometric Determination.

I. Popova, E. Savelyeva, T. Degtyarevskaya, D. Babaskin, and A. Vokhmintsev, "Evaluation of Proteome Dynamics: Implications for Statistical Confidence in Mass Spectrometric Determination," Proteomics 24, no. 14 (2024): 2300351, https://doi.org/10.1002/pmic.202300351. The above article, published online on 03 May 2024 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Lucie Kalvodova; and Wiley-VCH GmbH. The retraction has been agreed due to a major unattributed overlap between the figures and figure legends of this article (Figures 2-7) and another article previously published elsewhere by a different group of authors [1]. Such publishing practice is against the journal's policy and Wiley's Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics. The co-authors, I. Popova, T. Degtyarevskaya, D. Babaskin, and A. Vokhmintsev stated that they did not participate in the writing and submission of the article and gave no consent for publication. E. Savelyeva remained unresponsive. REFERENCES 1. H. Boekweg, A. J. Guise, E. D. Plowey, R. T. Kelly, and S. Payne, "Calculating Sample Size Requirements for Temporal Dynamics in Single-Cell Proteomics," Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 20, (2021): 100085, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpro.2021.100085.

A Synoptic Review of Plant Disease Epidemics and Outbreaks Published in 2022.

This scientometric study reviews the scientific literature and CABI distribution records published in 2022 to find evidence of major disease outbreaks and first reports of pathogens in new locations or on new hosts. This is the second time we have done this, and this study builds on our work documenting and analyzing reports from 2021. Pathogens with three or more articles identified in 2022 literature were Xylella fastidiosa, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, Meloidogyne species complexes, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus', Raffaelea lauricola, Fusarium oxysporum formae specialis, and Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici. Our review of CABI distribution records found 29 pathogens with confirmed first reports in 2022. Pathogens with four or more first reports were Meloidogyne species complexes, Pantoea ananatis, grapevine red globe virus, and Thekopsora minima. Analysis of the proportion of new distribution records from 2022 indicated that grapevine red globe virus, sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus, and 'Ca. Phytoplasma vitis' may have been actively spreading. As we saw last year, there was little overlap between the pathogens identified by reviewing scientific literature versus distribution records. We hypothesize that this lack of concordance is because of the unavoidable lag between first reports of the type reported in the CABI database of a pathogen in a new location and any subsequent major disease outbreaks being reported in the scientific literature, particularly because the latter depends on the journal policy on types of papers to be considered, whether the affected crop is major or minor, and whether the pathogen is of current scientific interest. Strikingly, too, there was also no overlap between species assessed to be actively spreading in this year's study and those identified last year. We hypothesize that this is because of inconsistencies in sampling coverage and effort over time and delays between the first arrival of a pathogen in a new location and its first report, particularly for certain classes of pathogens causing only minor or non-economically damaging symptoms, which may have been endemic for some time before being reported. In general, introduction of new pathogens and outbreaks of extant pathogens threaten food security and ecosystem services. Continued monitoring of these threats is essential to support phytosanitary measures intended to prevent pathogen introductions and management of threats within a country.

Global policy scan of commercial combustible tobacco product retailing regulations by WHO region

Background/aimsRegulatory schemes for tobacco retailing help restrict the supply and availability of smoked tobacco products. Tobacco retailer density and the proximity of tobacco outlets to youth spaces, such as schools,...

RETRACTION: Exploiting Cu+–Na+ Ion‐exchanged and Ar/H2 Annealed Glass Matrix to Synthesize Copper Nanoparticles

AbstractRETRACTION: S. Toumi, A. Adawy, A. Quaranta and K. Farah, “Exploiting Cu+–Na+ Ion‐exchanged and Ar/H2 Annealed Glass Matrix to Synthesize Copper Nanoparticles,” Journal of the American Ceramic Society (Early View): https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.19507.The above article, published online on October 24, 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor‐in‐Chief, John C. Mauro; the American Ceramic Society; and John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc. The retraction has been agreed upon following an investigation into concerns raised by a third party, which revealed significant redundancy in primary data and simultaneous submission with another published article by an overlapping group of authors elsewhere. Such publishing practice is against the journal's policy and Wiley's Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics. The authors were informed of the decision to retract but did not agree to the retraction or the wording.

Analysis and mapping of harm reduction research in the context of injectable drug use: identifying research hotspots, gaps and future directions

BackgroundHarm reduction is a crucial approach in addressing the multifaceted challenges of injectable drug use. This paper presents an analysis and mapping of the existing literature on harm reduction research in the context of injectable drug use. By reviewing a comprehensive set of scholarly articles, this study identifies research hotspots, knowledge gaps, and future directions in the field. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to guide future research efforts and inform evidence-based harm reduction interventions.MethodsData for the study was obtained from the Scopus database, using keywords and phrases related to harm reduction and injectable drug use. Validation methods were employed to verify the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the search strategy. Data analysis involved identifying growth patterns, key contributors, mapping frequent terms, identifying research hotspots, and identifying emerging research directions.ResultsA total of 971 articles were found, with a notable increase from 2015 to 2022. The International Journal of Drug Policy (n = 172, 17.7%) and the Harm Reduction Journal (n = 104, 10.7%) were the most prolific journals, and the United States (n = 558, 57.5%) had the highest number of publications. The Johns Hopkins University (n = 80, 8.5%) was the most prolific institution. Mapping of frequent author keywords revealed the main keywords, including harm reduction, HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid overdose. The highly cited articles cover a broad time span and focus on topics like naloxone distribution, HIV and hepatitis C transmission, while recent articles concentrate on emerging issues such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, fentanyl-related concerns, stigma reduction, and needle and syringe programs. Both sets of articles share a common focus on harm reduction strategies, but recent publications highlight current challenges and developments in the field.ConclusionsThis study provides insights into research landscape on harm reduction in injectable drug use. Research is concentrated in high-income countries, emphasizing the need for more research in low- and middle-income countries. Recent publications focus on emerging challenges like COVID-19 and fentanyl. Research gaps highlight the need for studies in diverse populations, social determinants, program evaluation, and implementation strategies to enhance harm reduction interventions.

Statistical Methods to Examine Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Surgical Literature: A Review and Recommendations for Improvement.

We characterized the quality of statistical methods for studies of racial and ethnic disparities in the surgical-relevant literature during 2021-2022. Hundreds of scientific papers are published each year describing racial and ethnic disparities in surgical access, quality, and outcomes. The content and design quality of this literature has never been systematically reviewed. We searched for 2021-2022 studies focused on describing racial and/or ethnic disparities in surgical or perioperative access, process quality, or outcomes. Identified studies were characterized in terms of three methodological criteria: 1) adjustment for variables related to both race/ethnicity and outcomes, including social determinants of health (SDOH); 2) accounting for clustering of patients within hospitals or other subunits ("providers") and; 3) distinguishing within- and between-provider effects. We identified 224 papers describing racial and/or ethnic differences. Of the 38 single institution studies, 24 (63.2%) adjusted for at least one SDOH variable. Of the 186 multisite studies, 113 (60.8%) adjusted for at least one SDOH variable, and 43 (23.1%) accounted for clustering of patients within providers using appropriate statistical methods. Only 10 (5.4%) of multi-institution studies made efforts to examine how much of overall disparities were driven by within versus between provider effects. Most recently published papers on racial and ethnic disparities in the surgical literature do not meet these important statistical design criteria and therefore may risk inaccuracy in the estimation of group differences in surgical access, quality, and outcomes. The most potent leverage points for these improvements are changes to journal publication guidelines and policies.

Are Open Science instructions targeted to ecologists and evolutionary biologists sufficient? A literature review of guidelines and journal data policies.

Open science (OS) awareness and skills are increasingly becoming an essential part of everyday scientific work as e.g., many journals require authors to share data. However, following an OS workflow can seem challenging at first. Thus, instructions by journals and other guidelines are important. But how comprehensive are they in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology (Ecol Evol)? To find this out, we reviewed 20 published OS guideline articles aimed for ecologists or evolutionary biologists, together with the data policies of 17 Ecol Evol journals to chart the current landscape of OS guidelines in the field, find potential gaps, identify field-specific barriers for OS and discuss solutions to overcome these challenges. We found that many of the guideline articles covered similar topics, despite being written for a narrow field or specific target audience. Likewise, many of the guideline articles mentioned similar obstacles that could hinder or postpone a transition to open data sharing. Thus, there could be a need for a more widely known, general OS guideline for Ecol Evol. Following the same guideline could also enhance the uniformity of the OS practices carried on in the field. However, some topics, like long-term experiments and physical samples, were mentioned surprisingly seldom, although they are typical issues in Ecol Evol. Of the journals, 15 out of 17 expected or at least encouraged data sharing either for all articles or under specific conditions, e.g. for registered reports and 10 of those required data sharing at the submission phase. The coverage of journal data policies varied greatly between journals, from practically non-existing to very extensive. As journals can contribute greatly by leading the way and making open data useful, we recommend that the publishers and journals would invest in clear and comprehensive data policies and instructions for authors.

Comparative Analysis of Educational Policies of China and Pakistan:A Systematic Literature Review

This paper presents a systematic literature review that offers a comparative analysis of the educational policies of China and Pakistan. The review delves into the historical context, policy formulation, implementation strategies, and outcomes of educational reforms in both countries. To ensure a comprehensive and current analysis, studies published between 2000 and 2023 were included. Data were meticulously extracted from peer-reviewed journal articles, government reports, and policy documents. The selected studies were thoroughly analyzed to identify key themes and patterns, employing a comparative framework to synthesize the data focusing on policy formulation, implementation, and outcomes. This detailed comparative analysis highlights significant differences and similarities between the two nations' educational systems, providing valuable insights into how each country addresses its unique educational challenges and opportunities. By examining these aspects, the review offers a comprehensive understanding of the educational landscapes of China and Pakistan, shedding light on the successes and shortcomings of their respective educational policies. The findings suggest that both countries can learn valuable lessons from each other's experiences, thereby enhancing their educational frameworks. This study contributes to the broader discourse on global educational development, emphasizing the importance of tailored policy responses to meet diverse educational needs.

A Quick Fix for Promoting Reading Compliance and Improved Class Discussions: Quizgecko and Low-Stakes Quizzes

Quizzes and exams are widely used to assess student learning. As such, writing high-quality questions for these assessments remains a perennial task, but it is also time-consuming. Time spent crafting these questions is unavailable for developing more engaging assignments and classroom activities. In this Quick Fix, the author describes how he used the AI question generator, Quizgecko, to quickly produce dozens of candidate questions based on journal articles, book chapters, and policy briefs. With the time saved, he replaced pop quizzes with low-stakes quizzes for each week’s readings. This led to increased reading compliance and stimulated more reading-informed class discussions.