Applying Rational Choice Theory to Authors' Behaviors in Unethical Publishing in China

Much have been discussed about unethical scholarly publishing in the learned community from the perspective of publishers, particularly commercial ones, while few have tried to seek an understanding of the actions taken by individual authors in the practice. This paper attempts to adopt an economic principle, the rational choice theory, in the examination of exploitative publishing using China as a case study. It argues that it is human's inclination to make prudent decisions for their highest self-interest while trying to minimize personal losses that drives some researchers to take advantage of an eroding system of scholarly communication. It has also attempted to pinpoint a possible solution.