Proofig screens images for duplication and other types of manipulation. It is similar to the iThenticate plagiarism detection software (which Science has been using for 7 years), but it works on images rather than text. Science has been piloting Proofig for several months with clear evidence that problematic figures can be detected prior to publication, so its use will expand to all papers under consideration that present relevant images. This should help identify both honest mistakes and fraudulent activity before a decision is made on publication. Prior to the pilot phase, Science had been conducting “human-eye” image checks on a portion of papers, so Proofig is a natural next step. This tool will enhance Science’s review process and reduce the potential for human error because it captures many more alterations.
Proofig will be applied after a research paper is revised by authors. After analyzing the images, the tool generates a report flagging duplications and other abnormalities, such as rotation, scale distortion, and splicing. The paper’s editor reviews the findings and determines whether the AI-detected issues may be problematic. (In some cases, figures may have intentional rotations or duplications that are explained in the paper.) If so, the editor contacts the authors to request an explanation. During the pilot period, authors generally provided a satisfactory response and fixed the problems so that the paper could proceed to further review or acceptance. However, papers that should not be published were detected. Going forward, if the authors’ response is unsatisfactory or raises additional concerns, we will probe further and take steps that could include rejecting the paper. If image integrity concerns are raised about a paper that a Science journal already published, we will use Proofig to carefully examine the suspicious images, which will inform subsequent actions (e.g., correction or retraction).
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