Profesor Ines Mergel from the University of Konstanz in Germany discovered her name was listed without permission in an Indonesian academic article after receiving a notification from Google Scholar, detikcom reported. The article, titled “Kolinearitas dan Regularisasi pada Model Layanan Publik Digital: Simulasi dalam Konteks Green Government,” was published in Ekliptika: Jurnal Inovasi Teknologi Berkelanjutan in July 2026, according to the journal’s records.
Mergel denies involvement in the article
Mergel confirmed she had no involvement in the article, stating, “I never knew about the article, and I did not write a single word in it,” as reported by detikcom. She reached out to the corresponding author, Muhammad Khafid Ainul Yaqin, who initially claimed he was not the author of the article and noted its topic was outside his expertise. VIVA.co.id cited Mergel’s LinkedIn post, where she described the confusion after the author later apologized, suggesting a shift in their stance.
The journal’s editorial team initially corrected the article by removing all co-authors except Khafid. This approach drew criticism from Mergel, who argued it implied she had voluntarily withdrawn. The journal later fully retracted the article, as noted in a retraction notice from Ekliptika.
The article was submitted to the journal on 5 May 2026, underwent revisions on 1 June 2026, and was approved for publication on 7 July 2026, according to the journal’s records. The corresponding author, Muhammad Khafid Ainul Yaqin, is affiliated with Yudharta Pasuruan University’s FISIP faculty, as noted in the article. Mergel later revealed that the corresponding author initially denied authorship, claiming the article’s topic was outside his expertise, but later apologized. However, the editor’s apology did not mention his name, as Mergel noted in her LinkedIn post.
Broader Implications for Academic Integrity
The incident involved other prominent academics, including Yudho Giri Sucahyo, a professor at the University of Indonesia, who also reported his name was used without consent. Rini Rachmawati from UGM and Marijn Janssen from Delft University of Technology were also listed as co-authors, though their responses were not immediately available.
Yudho Giri Sucahyo, a professor at UI, stated he was unaware of his inclusion in the article. “Ya, nama saya juga dicatut,” he told detikEdu, adding he planned to pursue the matter through official channels. The retraction notice, dated October 29, 2026, emphasized that the names added without consent should not be interpreted as voluntary withdrawals, according to AFU.id.
Google Scholar still prompts Mergel to add article
Mergel noted she had to create an account to contact the editorial team, a process she described in her LinkedIn post, as reported by VIVA.co.id. Despite the retraction, Google Scholar still prompted her to add the article to her profile, highlighting gaps in automated systems to detect unauthorized listings.
Khafid and Ekliptika have not responded to requests for comment.
How many academics were affected?
How many academics were affected by the unauthorized listing?
At least four academics were listed without consent: Ines Mergel, Yudho Giri Sucahyo, Rini Rachmawati, and Marijn Janssen, according to detikcom and AFU.id.
When was the article retracted?
The article was fully retracted on October 29, 2026, as stated in the Ekliptika retraction notice.
What steps did Mergel take to address the issue?
Mergel contacted the corresponding author, demanded her name’s removal, and later criticized the journal’s partial correction.
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