Fake references in biomedical papers have surged 12x since 2023
- Source
- Fortune
- Time
- 4:18 PM
- Weight
- 95/100
The volume of fraudulent citations in biomedical literature has increased twelvefold since 2023, according to recent analysis of academic publishing trends. This surge is largely attributed to the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence tools and large language models, which researchers sometimes utilize to assist in drafting manuscripts.
While these AI systems can streamline the writing process, they are prone to "hallucinating" references that appear authentic and formatted correctly but correspond to non-existent studies. The rapid rise in fabricated references poses a significant challenge to the integrity of the scientific record and the efficacy of the peer-review process.