Image manipulation in scholarly publications: are there ways to an automated solution?

Abstract

PurposeThis paper provides an introduction to research in the field of image forensics and asks whether advances in the field of algorithm development and digital forensics will facilitate the examination of images in the scientific publication process in the near future.Design/methodology/approachThis study looks at the status quo of image analysis in the peer review process and evaluates selected articles from the field of Digital Image and Signal Processing that have addressed the discovery of copy-move, cut-paste and erase-fill manipulations.FindingsThe article focuses on forensic research and shows that, despite numerous efforts, there is still no applicable tool for the automated detection of image manipulation. Nonetheless, the status quo for examining images in scientific publications remains visual inspection and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. This study summarizes aspects that make automated detection of image manipulation difficult from a forensic research perspective.Research limitations/implicationsResults of this study underscore the need for a conceptual reconsideration of the problems involving image manipulation with a view toward the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in conjunction with library and information science (LIS) expertise on information integrity.Practical implicationsThis study not only identifies a number of conceptual challenges but also suggests areas of action that the scientific community can address in the future.Originality/valueImage manipulation is often discussed in isolation as a technical challenge. This study takes a more holistic view of the topic and demonstrates the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach.