An analysis of 33,159 cancer journal articles revealed tell-tale patterns of fake citation numbers across 4,000 articles by ‘research paper mills’, or fraudulent research organisations.
The team evaluated the impact of paper mills on citation patterns in 33,159 articles published in 20 journals between 2012 and 2023.
Researchers said suspect papers tended to cluster in a subset of journals including ‘Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research’ and ‘Molecular Cancer’ whereas other journals were only marginally affected. They said ‘research paper mills’, the fraudulent organisations that make money by offering to list people’s names on fake research papers, may also be manipulating citation counts — a key measure of academic performance. Artificially inflated citation counts distort the evidence base to misinform future research and clinical translation, the team said. “Just as likes and shares indicate social media influencers’ audience engagement, citations from other researchers are an important academic measure for evaluating scientists’ research impact,” author and statistician Adrian Barnett, from Queensland University of Technology’s Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, explained. “Artificially high citation rates can inflate journal impact factors, amplify unreliable findings, and slow scientific progress,” Barnett said. “This study provides evidence that citation manipulation leaves measurable traces in citation patterns, offering a practical basis for future screening and intervention,” they said.
