A ‘Fake Science’ Tsunami. Report Reveals the Scale of Deception

How ‘Fake Science’ Factories Operate

Researchers from Northwestern University in the USA conducted an analysis on fraud in scientific research. To do so, they analyzed case studies, large datasets of scientific literature, and lists of journals. All these documents were retracted from publication.

Most of the data came from major scientific literature databases, including: Web of Science, Elsevier’s Scopus, National Library of Medicine’s and OpenAlex.

The results are alarming. The scale of the fraud involves a global network of entities that systematically undermine the integrity of academic publications. As a result, fabricated scientific studies appear on the market faster than genuine and reliable ones.

“The organizations producing fraudulent science are able to ensure publication of their manuscripts in journals from several publishers before the deceptions are detected and removed (…). Finally, we show that the number of fraudulent publications is growing at a rate that significantly exceeds the growth rate of legitimate publications,” the study reads.

In other words, some groups that create fake studies publish their work in several scientific journals. They do this before they are exposed. The report’s authors also noted that generative AI (such as language models) will worsen the situation, enabling the mass production of fake content that can enter databases and train future AIs—this is one of the most alarming and forward-looking theses.

Organizations that help prepare such fraudulent articles can effectively bypass scientific quality control systems. An example of this is when entire journals are removed from databases. They intentionally choose specific, narrow fields in which to publish, while avoiding others, even very similar areas, which makes it harder to detect them. What’s more, the number of such fake publications is growing much faster than the number of legitimate studies.

Four Fraudster Strategies That Destroy Science

The study’s authors discovered that fraudsters use several key strategies:

• Groups of researchers collude to publish articles in multiple journals. When their actions were discovered, the articles were retracted.
• Brokers serve as intermediaries. They enable the mass publication of fraudulent articles in compromised journals.
• Fraud is concentrated in vulnerable fields.
• Organized entities bypass quality control measures, such as the removal of journals from indexes.

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Who Profits from Fake Scientific Articles?

The researchers also revealed the coordinated activities of so-called “paper mills”, which mass-produce manuscripts for sale to scientists who are looking to publish quickly. Most of these works are low-quality. They contain fabricated data, manipulated or stolen illustrations, plagiarized content, and sometimes even scientific claims that are nonsensical or contradict the laws of physics.

“More and more researchers are falling into the trap of paper mills. Not only can they buy articles, but they can buy citations. Then they can look like reputable scientists when they have barely conducted their own research,” said Luís A. N. Amaral of Northwestern, the study’s lead author, to Eurekalert.org.

What Can Be Done to Fight Fraud?

To combat this growing threat to legitimate scientific publications, the researchers emphasize the need for a multi-pronged approach. This includes heightened control over editorial processes, improved methods for detecting fabricated studies, a better understanding of the networks that facilitate abuse, and a radical restructuring of the system of incentives in science.

“This study is probably the most depressing project I have been involved in my entire life. Since childhood, I have been excited about science. It’s depressing to see others engage in fraud and mislead others. But if you believe that science is useful and important for humanity, then you have to fight for it,” said Amaral.

Read the original article: Fałszywe badania zalewają naukę. Raport ujawnia skalę oszustw