Data-sociology and some problems of scientific certification

A data-sociology approach is introduced by analyzing results obtained by the Russian voluntary networking community «Dissernet». As is the case with data journalism, data-sociology is based on the publically accessible (open source) data and takes advantage of modern information processing technologies. The results obtained in the framework of this study help to reconstruct a socio-landscape and to reveal problematic areas where any sort of fraud is highly welcomed. As a matter of fact, the same areas are highly problematic for society as a whole. Data collected by the Dissernet allow practical conclusions to be drawn about the work of various professional groups of people, e.g. expert committies in science and higher education (Dissertation Committies), editorial boards of scientific journals, as well as governmental bodies at regional and federal level.