Fake Paper Factories Churn Out Sham Science

[Velocity]

I was reading a Nature article about industrialized cheating that some publishers are dealing with. Editors are engaged in dealing with 'Paper Mills'. Some research papers are being created not through genuine scientific research, but through the use of paper mills that churn out fake scientific manuscripts to order. In January 2021, Laura Fisher, executive director of RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Advances journal retracted 68 papers from the journal and at least 15 more are still under investigation. All the papers came from Chinese hospitals, but this is not the only source of fake papers. The journal announced that it had been the victim of what it believed to be "the systemic production of falsified research". Research integrity sleuths have repeatedly warned that some scientists buy papers from 3rd party firms to help their careers. Back in my college days, it was common knowledge that you had to "publish or perish", so this is how some current scientists are getting promotions and/or pay increases. This has become a very wide spread problem. Since last January, a Nature analysis has found that journals have retracted at least 370 papers that have been publicly linked to paper mills. These were flagged in part because of their suspiciously similar features. This seems to be widespread through the scientific community.
It is a fascinating article worth reading. What impact on research and science in general, do you foresee going forward? There has already been some bogus gene data linked to cancer research.

 

[dupersuper]

I was reading a Nature article about industrialized cheating that some publishers are dealing with. Editors are engaged in dealing with 'Paper Mills'. Some research papers are being created not through genuine scientific research, but through the use of paper mills that churn out fake scientific manuscripts to order. In January 2021, Laura Fisher, executive director of RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Advances journal retracted 68 papers from the journal and at least 15 more are still under investigation. All the papers came from Chinese hospitals, but this is not the only source of fake papers. The journal announced that it had been the victim of what it believed to be "the systemic production of falsified research". Research integrity sleuths have repeatedly warned that some scientists buy papers from 3rd party firms to help their careers. Back in my college days, it was common knowledge that you had to "publish or perish", so this is how some current scientists are getting promotions and/or pay increases. This has become a very wide spread problem. Since last January, a Nature analysis has found that journals have retracted at least 370 papers that have been publicly linked to paper mills. These were flagged in part because of their suspiciously similar features. This seems to be widespread through the scientific community.
It is a fascinating article worth reading. What impact on research and science in general, do you foresee going forward? There has already been some bogus gene data linked to cancer research.

This is why the human race can't have nice things.

 

[Dryson]

I was reading a Nature article about industrialized cheating that some publishers are dealing with. Editors are engaged in dealing with 'Paper Mills'. Some research papers are being created not through genuine scientific research, but through the use of paper mills that churn out fake scientific manuscripts to order. In January 2021, Laura Fisher, executive director of RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Advances journal retracted 68 papers from the journal and at least 15 more are still under investigation. All the papers came from Chinese hospitals, but this is not the only source of fake papers. The journal announced that it had been the victim of what it believed to be "the systemic production of falsified research". Research integrity sleuths have repeatedly warned that some scientists buy papers from 3rd party firms to help their careers. Back in my college days, it was common knowledge that you had to "publish or perish", so this is how some current scientists are getting promotions and/or pay increases. This has become a very wide spread problem. Since last January, a Nature analysis has found that journals have retracted at least 370 papers that have been publicly linked to paper mills. These were flagged in part because of their suspiciously similar features. This seems to be widespread through the scientific community.
It is a fascinating article worth reading. What impact on research and science in general, do you foresee going forward? There has already been some bogus gene data linked to cancer research.

Sounds a lot like what QAnon might do or be involved in. Paper Mill fake research or propaganda.

The problem is that I think more of the Paper Mill articles are going to find their way into the world as China continues to target manufacturing sectors with their junk research. Research that is targeted at those who have a very low education, I.e. political meme makers or people who have problems with their thinking skills, who would readily accept the research to be the up and comer in their community or place of work.

 

[publiusr]

This is the best thread ever here.

There in the late 90’s-early noughts...any quack or crank not allowed to even so much as *sniff* the then-art-covered covers of JAMA could get inside the once staid covers of THE LANCET to disastrous results. Little has changed...go to www.retractionwatch.com for news on JAMA now.

There are times when I wonder if phys.org is hit. There was a recent find that the engineering of the Mississippi helped with carbon. Good news if true.

Frankly I don’t know just what to believe anymore. This is why Randi’s loss really hurts.

Some of you might remember Pogue on Nova cutting a battery up that was hooked up to a voltmeter without much loss. Then I thought “maybe that’s a metal sheet and someone put a battery in that meter...either way—you don’t cut between the electrodes, right?

But Randi might have snatched that box right out of his hand and broke it open...where mild mannered Pogue would have gasped.

Randi did say that scientists are the most easily fooled.

Question EVERYTHING

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I got out of academia decades ago. It was bad enough then with the pressure to publish, publish, publish and damn the quality. The better journals had more effective peer review but some reviewers were only interested in playing academic politics and trying to hinder the careers of rivals. I can only imagine it has gotten worse.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Academia needs to refocus on Quality > Quantity.

And kick China out of participating in it until the CCP is gone and their entire society is run by a proper democracy with severe change in their institutions.

 

[StarCruiser]

Academia is in need of a general reboot across national lines.

Example, here in the good ol' USA - most textbooks for regular education are heavily influenced by the people running the Texas State Board of Education. They select the textbooks they want to use here but, they often prefer those books to be ... compliant ... with their often excessively religious viewpoints, or want to have certain inconvenient details left out...to protect the children...of course.

This, in turn, affects the selection of books that other states will use in their school systems (even in California and New York) since the major publishers will happily cater to the T.E.A. standards (Texas IS big, after all) and publish accordingly.

This may be part of the reason that so many still believe that Columbus sailed "the ocean blue in 1492" to prove the world was round (he didn't) and discovered the new world (also, he didn't). This also interferes with all forms of science inquiry since the T.E.A. often wants to either try to eliminate some items (evolution) or offer "alternate theories" to counter the real science...

And so on and so forth (shampoo, rinse, repeat).

 

['Q']

I remember this one...dog rape culture...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...ht-massive-hoax-involving-20-FAKE-papers.html

 

[Dryson]

I just caught a prominent politician using a deep fake of Jeff Bezos scratching his head. The deep fake was titled Jeff Bezos is Nervous. I didn't read the article because it was going to be full of deep fake comments.

China isn't the only nation using deep fakes. Political members in all parties have started using deep fakes because they know that they can take in a lot of money from the lie instead of the truth.

 

[StarCruiser]

That's an "Alternate Truth"...not a "Lie" (right?)

 

[Dryson]

Other media that is being used by China is You Tube to generate deep fakes from. I have been seeing You Tube ads for solar panels for my home the last few weeks. The script involves using the person's home state, Ohio in my case, to then go about the solar panel deals that are out of this world.

I used to get the same type of ad in my Facebook feeds until about a month ago when I blocked the ad in Facebook.

So it's obvious that Face Book and You Tube are selling people's information, much like political and religious telemarketing firms used to do before the U.S. government put a stop to the illegal practice.

With Russia being a favorite of "You Tube" news you can be for certain that Russia is also behind the fake ad scheme as well.

The number one problem with these scams is that the scams are being used to target progressive agenda's , solar power, wage equality, etc. that are meant to create divides in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

 

['Q']

Other media that is being used by China is You Tube to generate deep fakes from. I have been seeing You Tube ads for solar panels for my home the last few weeks. The script involves using the person's home state, Ohio in my case, to then go about the solar panel deals that are out of this world.

I used to get the same type of ad in my Facebook feeds until about a month ago when I blocked the ad in Facebook.

So it's obvious that Face Book and You Tube are selling people's information, much like political and religious telemarketing firms used to do before the U.S. government put a stop to the illegal practice.

With Russia being a favorite of "You Tube" news you can be for certain that Russia is also behind the fake ad scheme as well.

The number one problem with these scams is that the scams are being used to target progressive agenda's , solar power, wage equality, etc. that are meant to create divides in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

What's your point, Sir?

 

[publiusr]

There may be findings overseas that never reach our shores. I wish I was multiple man from X-Men and could send clones to every campus library