The Great Journal Heist: How Fake Journals Outsmarted Academia

Are your academic credentials built on a house of cards?

When Jagiellonian University discovered three fake journals in the top 10 of Scopus’s philosophy rankings, it exposed a glaring vulnerability in academic evaluation. These journals, published by Addleton Academic Publishers, climbed the ranks through extensive cross-citation and deceptive practices, undermining the integrity of the system used for hiring and promotions.

The trick? Self-citations and buzzword-laden, AI-generated papers claiming to review trending tech topics like "blockchain" and "deep learning." Many authors and affiliations were fake, using dubious grant numbers and non-existent research institutes. Despite being alerted, the institution’s response was one of indifference, highlighting a systemic issue in academic evaluations.

The presence of these fake journals questions the credibility of ranking systems but and pushes legitimate journals to lower tiers, impacting researchers' careers and academic integrity. Shouldn't institutions reconsider their reliance on such flawed metrics?

Read the full article on Retraction Watch.

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