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https://theconversation.com/fake-papers-are-contaminating-the-worlds-scientific-literature-fueling-a-corrupt-industry-and-slowing-legitimate-lifesaving-medical-research-246224>
"Over the past decade, furtive commercial entities around the world have
industrialized the production, sale and dissemination of bogus scholarly
research, undermining the literature that everyone from doctors to engineers
rely on to make decisions about human lives.
It is exceedingly difficult to get a handle on exactly how big the problem is.
Around 55,000 scholarly papers have been retracted to date, for a variety of
reasons, but scientists and companies who screen the scientific literature for
telltale signs of fraud estimate that there are many more fake papers
circulating – possibly as many as several hundred thousand. This fake research
can confound legitimate researchers who must wade through dense equations,
evidence, images and methodologies only to find that they were made up.
Even when the bogus papers are spotted – usually by amateur sleuths on their
own time – academic journals are often slow to retract the papers, allowing the
articles to taint what many consider sacrosanct: the vast global library of
scholarly work that introduces new ideas, reviews other research and discusses
findings.
These fake papers are slowing down research that has helped millions of people
with lifesaving medicine and therapies from cancer to COVID-19. Analysts’ data
shows that fields related to cancer and medicine are particularly hard hit,
while areas like philosophy and art are less affected. Some scientists have
abandoned their life’s work because they cannot keep pace given the number of
fake papers they must bat down.
The problem reflects a worldwide commodification of science. Universities, and
their research funders, have long used regular publication in academic journals
as requirements for promotions and job security, spawning the mantra “publish
or perish.”
But now, fraudsters have infiltrated the academic publishing industry to
prioritize profits over scholarship. Equipped with technological prowess,
agility and vast networks of corrupt researchers, they are churning out papers
on everything from obscure genes to artificial intelligence in medicine.
These papers are absorbed into the worldwide library of research faster than
they can be weeded out. About 119,000 scholarly journal articles and conference
papers are published globally every week, or more than 6 million a year.
Publishers estimate that, at most journals, about 2% of the papers submitted –
but not necessarily published – are likely fake, although this number can be
much higher at some publications.
While no country is immune to this practice, it is particularly pronounced in
emerging economies where resources to do bona fide science are limited – and
where governments, eager to compete on a global scale, push particularly strong
“publish or perish” incentives."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
