A new study from Northwestern University warns that coordinated scientific fraud is becoming increasingly common. From fabricated data to purchased authorships and paid citations, researchers say organized groups are manipulating the academic publishing system.
To investigate the issue, scientists combined large scale analysis of scientific publications with detailed case studies. While misconduct is often portrayed as the work of individual researchers cutting corners, the Northwestern team discovered something far more complex. Their findings reveal global networks of people and organizations working together to systematically exploit weaknesses in the publishing process.
The scale of the problem is striking. According to the researchers, fraudulent studies are now appearing at a faster rate than legitimate scientific publications. The authors say the findings should serve as a…
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