Editorial

Despite the many laudable activities that publishing includes, human society is exposed to a phenomenon that erodes its substance.This particularly applies to corruption in all its forms, not only financial, which is why I decided to dedicate this Editorial to this concept.Corruption is generally considered to be the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, including dishonest or illegal acts such as bribery, fraud, embezzlement and nepotism, often by officials or powerful individuals, undermining public trust, damaging economies and distorting justice in governments, businesses and even sectors of civil society.Somehow, a general view is that corruption penetrated every aspect of life and society.Even where it was least expected-medical scientific journalism, which we have already written about previously.I will repeat once again what I often say publicly: perhaps we have never talked more about combating corruption and at the same time had a huge number of mega-corruption scandals or even ongoing activities at the highest levels throughout the world.For those who work in academia or in science in general, it is not necessary to mention the many procedures they go through to convince financiers, scientific foundations from which they seek funding or work on project reviews that they are not in a conflict of interest and spend the grant money according to the set rules.On the other hand, we are witnesses to the shameless spending of money to bribe scientists and academics in general.How can this be possible?In a broader context indeed, corruption encompasses all areas of human activity and has growingly and blatantly invaded states' institutions and international institutions.The fight against it has so far been largely unsuccessful.Where big money is made, it is also the most stubborn place of corruption.This is for example evidenced in the manipulation of various 'professional' reports (pharmaceutical and military industries, telecommunications, meteorology, publishing, banking, medicine, the judiciary, etc.).It is difficult to imagine any human activity in which corruption does not seriously undermine the established order.And it is often 'legalized' through legitimate contracts, lobbying and position trades.Historically, "corruption" had a broader meaning that referred to the impact of an activity on morality and social well-being, which still stays, but is less disputed in everyday life.Recent data suggest that corruption is on the rise despite each nation allocating domestic resources to control and regulate corruption and later crime.This probably points to the need to change the social system as the current one clearly shows it cannot limit or control corruption on almost any level.Finally, corruption is nothing new.It has existed throughout human history, documented in ancient Egypt (3100 BC) and China, evolving from being accepted as "reciprocity" (gifts for favors) to later being formalized as a crime or nowadays as technocratic and bank control over society.But it has not always been universally condemned, and some cultures have even formalized systems of reciprocal favors or religious offerings.This is however another topic as it touches the very essence of the societal system and human qualities that are sought as positive for the societal prosperity.Attention to corruption, particularly the financial one, has grown globally in the late 20th century, leading to increased focus on legal standards and international efforts to combat it in the 21st century.