The Black Market for Fake Science Is Growing Faster Than Legitimate Research, Study Warns
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Summary
A new study by researchers at Northwestern University in the US has warned that publication of fraudulent science is growing faster than legitimate research.
It found that fraudulent research is often not an isolated incident, but part of complex networks looking to undermine the integrity of science, using tactics such as the creation of fake research, plagiarism, buying and selling authorship and citations.
The analysis also highlighted “papermills”, organizations that mass produce low-quality manuscripts and sell them to academics looking to quickly expand their publication record.
The researchers called for strengthening scrutiny of editorial processes, developing a better understanding of the networks facilitating fraudulent practices and restructuring the incentives behind science.
