About - Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi

Learn about the creator and methodology behind PRCT, Democracy Analysis, and Predatory Journal Detection tools

About PRCT

Learn about the creator, methodology, and tools behind the Post-Retraction Citation Tracker, Democracy Analysis, and Predatory Journal Detection systems.

Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi

Researcher & Data Scientist

Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi is a researcher specializing in evidence synthesis, research integrity, and scientific transparency. He focuses on developing tools and methodologies to enhance the reliability of scientific research and combat research misconduct.

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Tools & Methodology

Post-Retraction Citation Tracker (PRCT)

Tracks citations to retracted scientific papers using advanced data mining and visualization techniques.

Methodology:
  • Retraction Watch Database integration for comprehensive retraction data
  • CrossRef API for citation tracking and metadata retrieval
  • PostgreSQL database with optimized indexing for fast queries
  • Django framework with performance optimizations
  • Interactive visualizations using Chart.js and D3.js
  • Real-time analytics with caching mechanisms
Technologies:
Python Django PostgreSQL JavaScript Bootstrap Chart.js

Democracy & Scientific Retractions Analysis

Comprehensive Bayesian hierarchical analysis examining the relationship between democratic governance and research integrity.

Methodology:
  • Bayesian Hierarchical Negative Binomial regression using Stan and brms
  • Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE) for missing data
  • Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) for causal inference framework
  • V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index as primary democracy measure
  • SCImago Journal & Country Rank for publication data
  • World Bank Governance Indicators for institutional quality measures
  • Longitudinal analysis covering 167 countries (2006-2023)
Technologies:
R Stan brms tidyverse ggplot2 pandas numpy

Predatory Journal Detection Tool

AI-powered tool for identifying predatory journals using evidence-based criteria and comprehensive web analysis.

Methodology:
  • Evidence-based scoring system from academic literature review
  • Multi-factor analysis: peer review, language, editorial boards, indexing
  • Web scraping with BeautifulSoup for comprehensive content analysis
  • External database verification (DOAJ, Crossref, OpenAlex)
  • Dynamic confidence scoring with 95% confidence intervals
  • Enhanced contextual analysis for decentralized peer review models
  • Publisher reputation recognition to reduce false positives
Technologies:
Python BeautifulSoup requests scikit-learn pandas

Research Philosophy & Mission

Scientific Transparency

Promoting open science practices and transparent reporting of research methodologies.

Research Integrity

Developing tools to identify and combat research misconduct and predatory publishing practices.

Evidence-Based Decision Making

Using rigorous statistical methods and causal inference to inform policy and practice.

Global Impact

Creating accessible tools that benefit the global research community and enhance scientific quality worldwide.

Technical Stack

Backend

Python Django PostgreSQL FastAPI

Frontend

HTML5 CSS3 JavaScript Bootstrap 5 Chart.js

Analytics

R Stan pandas numpy scikit-learn

Deployment

Git GitHub Linux Docker

Apis

CrossRef API DOAJ API OpenAlex API Retraction Watch Database

Citation & Usage

If you use any of the tools or data from this website in your research, please cite appropriately and consider reaching out for potential collaboration.

Suggested Citation:
Sofi-Mahmudi, Ahmad. (2024). Post-Retraction Citation Tracker and Research Integrity Tools. Available at: https://prct.xeradb.com