Over the past decade, intense commercial entities worldwide have manufactured the production, sale and deployment of scientific research. These paper mills benefit from undermining the literature on which everyone relies from doctors to engineers to make decisions on human life.
that it Very difficult To deal with the exact problem. About 55,000 scientific papers were RetreatFor a variety of reasons, but scientists and companies who Scientific literature examination of fraud marks Estimate that there are many fake papers that revolve – perhaps as much Several hundreds of thousands. This fake research can be confused by legal researchers who must go through thick equations, evidence, images and methodologies, only to find that they are made.
Even when false leaves are monitored – usually by amateurs at their time – they are often academic magazines Slow The papers, which allow articles to distort what many people consider: the vast international library of scientific work that offers new ideas, reviews and other research and discusses.
These fake papers are slowly researching millions of people with life rescue medicine and treatments, from cancer to Covid-19. Analysts show that the areas related to cancer and medicine are particularly enlarged, while areas such as philosophy and art are less affected.
To understand the scope, repercussions and possible solutions to this assault on science better, we – a shareholder editor in RetreatA website that progresses on the decline in scientific papers, relevant topics, and computer scientists in France Université Toulouse III -Paul Sabatier and Université Grenoble Alpes Those who specialize in discovering fake leaflets – spent six months in the investigation of paper factories.
The co -author also developed cloud Kabanak Paper problemsany Features of 130 million new and old scientific papers Every week he searches for Nine types of clues The paper may be fake or contain errors.
Mysterious molecase
Frank Kakovsky At Wayne State University in Detroit.
The oncology doctor was studying a series of chemical reactions in the cells to see if it could be a target of drugs against prostate cancer. A Paper from 2018 In the American Cancer Research Journal raised his attention when he read that an unknown molecule called SNHG1 may interact with the chemical reactions he was exploring. He and his colleague, Wayne State Researcher Stephen Zelkesk The experiments started, but you did not find any link.
Meanwhile, Ziksk has grown in the paper. And note that there are graphs showing the results of different identical cell lines, which “will be like pouring water in cups with your eyes closed and the same levels are completely.” Another graphic fee and schedule in the article also contains incomprehensible identical data.
Zelkesk description His fears In an unknown publication in 2020 in PubeerOnline forum where many scientists reach a mismanagement of possible research, and also contacted the magazine editor. Magazine Pulling the paper, Quoted from “counterfeit materials and/or data.
“Science is difficult enough as if people were actually real and trying to do real work,” said Kakovsky, who is also working at the Carmanus Institute of Cancer in Michigan.
The legitimate academic magazines evaluate the papers before publishing through the presence of other researchers in this field carefully read. But this peer review process is far from perfection. The auditors volunteer with their time, and the research is usually assumed that they are not real and they are not looking for fraud.
Some publishers may try this Choose auditors who are considered more likely to accept papersBecause rejection of the manuscript can mean losing thousands of dollars in publishing fees.
Worse, some corrupt scholars are formed Lacory review episodes. Paper factories may create Fake peer reviewers. Others can bribe editors or Plant agents on magazine editing panels.
“Very huge” problem
It is unclear when paper factories began to work widely. The oldest article suspected of the paper mill that was deported in 2004, was published. According to the decline monitoring databaseWhich explains the decline and is operated by the Scientific Integrity Center, and the non -profit parent of the hour of retreat.
An analysis of 53,000 sheets was found to six publishers – but it was not necessarily published – 2 % to 46 % Disputes suspected of magazines. American publisher Waili, who retreated More than 11,300 articles 19 magazines were closely affected by the former Hindu section. Up to 1 in 7 submitting operations.
Up to 2 % Among several million scientific works published in 2022, they were ground, according to Adam Day, who directs Clear Skies, a London company that develops tools to discover fake papers. A day said that some fields are worse than others: biology and medicine are closer to 3 %, and some sub -fields, such as cancer, may be much larger.
He said the problem of the paper mill “very huge”, Sabina AllamDirector of Ethical Publishing and Integrity in Taylor and Francis, a major academic publisher. In 2019, none of the 175 morals that escalated to her team around the paper factories, Allam said. Ethics cases include presentations and papers already published. “We had approximately 4000 cases,” in 2023, she said. “Half of these was paper factories.”
Jennifer Bern, an Australian scientist who is now heading Research collection to improve the reliability of medical researchand to attest In July 2022, the American House of Representatives hears that nearly 6 % of 12,000 cancer research sheets that have been examined have errors that could indicate the sharing of the paper mill. Bern closed her cancer research laboratory in 2017 Because the genes spent two contracts in research and writing about it became a target of fake papers.
In 2022, Bern and his colleagues, including two of us, found that suspected genetics research was not immediately affected by the care of patients, The work of scientists is reachesIncluding clinical trials. But publishers are often Surprisingly in retreat from polluted papersEven when alerting to clear fraud. We found it 97 % of 712 articles of search for problematic genetics We have identified an unforgiving shade.
Possible solutions
Cokreen collaborate policy With the exception of the suspected studies of its analyzes of medical evidence and development tool To discover problematic medical experiences. The publishers began Share data and technologies Among them to combat fraud, including Photo fraud.
Technology startups also provide assistance. the site ArgosIt was launched in September 2024 by ScitilitySparks -based alert service, Nevada, allows Authors to verify Collaboratives to decline or misconduct. Morressier, a scientific conference and communications company in Berlin, offers Search integration tools. Paper examination tools include SignsThrough the London -based research signals, the clear sky Papermill warning.
But Allam admits that fighting paper factories will not be won as long as the prosperous demand remains on the leaves.
Bern said that commercial publishing today is part of the problem. Literature cleaning is a vast and expensive task. She said: “Either we have to continue to corrections so that publishers are paid for their work, or we forget the publishers and do so.”
“We pay them in exchange for acceptance of the papers,” said Budo Stern, the former editor of the magazine cell and head of strategic initiatives at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a non -profit research organization in Chase Chis. , Maryland. with More than 50,000 magazines Stern said that the bad papers on the market eventually shopping, in the end, you find a house.
To prevent this, we can stop paying magazines to accept the papers and look at them as public facilities that serve a larger commodity. He said: “We must pay for the transparent and accurate quality control mechanisms.”
Stern said: The magazines must make all the corporate review reports available to the public, even for the manuscripts they refuse, “Steern said.
This article has been republished from Conversation Under the creative public license. This is an intense version. To learn more about how to use fraudsters around the world, paper factories use themselves to enrich themselves and harm scientific research, read The full version.
This article has been republished from ConversationAn independent, non -profit news organization brings you facts and trusted analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Friedrich Gueenfingand Retreat; Cyril Laband Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)And Gilum Kabanakand Institut de recreche en informatique de Toulouse
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Labbé receives funding from the European Research Council. He has also received funding from the French National Research Agency (AnR) and the American Research Safety Office. Labbé was in contact with most of the main publishers and integrity employees, as they provide pro-bono consultations regarding the detection tools for various actors in this field, including STM-HUB and Morressier.
Cabanac receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC) and Universitaire de France (IUF). He is the director of Screener Paperatic Paper, a public platform that uses descriptive data from digital sciences and PUBPEER through unimaginable agreements. Cabanac was in contact with most of the main publishers and integrity employees, as they provide free consultations regarding the detection tools for various actors in this field, including Clearskies, MorrieSier, River Valley, signs and STM.
Frederik Joelving does not work with shares, consulting, or receiving them from any company or institution that will benefit from this article, and has not revealed any related affiliations that exceed its academic appointment.
