The increasing emphasis on academic publishing as a performance metric has significantly influenced research culture in higher education. In many institutions, publication output is closely associated with recruitment, promotions, and performance evaluation, creating substantial pressure on researchers. This study examines the relationship between academic pressure and unethical research practices, particularly focusing on authorship misuse, ghostwriting, and paper purchasing.

A quantitative survey was conducted among 19 participants, including faculty members, postgraduate students, and PhD scholars. The findings reveal that 73.7% of respondents experience pressure to publish research papers either consistently or occasionally. While a majority (84.2%) reported awareness of research ethics and publication guidelines, a significant proportion (78.9%) admitted to observing unethical practices such as paid authorship and paper purchasing.