[6] Several aspects of academia lend themselves to the practice and discourage its reporting and mitigation, due to concerns of possible damage to the reputation of the institution.
Its leadership is usually drawn from the ranks of faculty, most of whom have not received the management training that could enable an effective response to such situations.
The generally decentralized nature of academic institutions can make it difficult for victims to seek recourse, and appeals to outside authority have been described as "the kiss of death.
A series of publications in Nature emphasize the need for improving institutional reporting systems for academic bullying.
[10] Its recipients may be the target of unwanted physical contact, violence, obscene or loud language during meetings, be disparaged among their colleagues in venues they are not aware of, and face difficulties when seeking promotion.
[24] These workplaces constitute what is known as "toxic research culture," encompassing a range of harmful practices such as bullying, harassment, poor employment terms, inadequate diversity and inclusion practices, breaches of research integrity, and the relentless pursuit of higher league table positions, H-indices, and impact factors.
A particularly troubling manifestation is 'ghost authoring,' where senior researchers take undue credit for work primarily done by junior staff.
These cultures are fostered by short-term contracts, inadequate salaries for early-career researchers, competitive work environments, and relentless pressure to publish.
[citation needed] A 2008 study of the topic, conducted on the basis of a survey at a Canadian university, concluded that the practice had several unproductive costs, including increased employee turnover.
[30] The results varied by member institutions, with respondents from the University of East London reporting the highest incidence.
[23] According to a survey conducted in 2021 by NOS op 3 among science PhD candidates enrolled at universities across the Netherlands, the most common forms of bullying included sexual misconduct, discrimination and violations of scientific standards.
[31] Author C. K. Gunsalus describes the problem as "low incidence, high severity", analogous to research misconduct.