KEY TAKEAWAYS

• In a test run, a new AI-based system developed by scientific publisher Wiley flagged 10–13% of submitted manuscripts as potential fakes.
• Generative AI tools could help combat the threat posed by paper mills to research integrity.

An AI-based service designed to detect bogus scientific articles flagged 10–13% of submitted manuscripts in a pilot run, according to a blog post by Ivan Oransky for Retraction Watch. The fake papers were caught by publisher Wiley’s Papermill Detection service, which screens submissions ahead of editorial review. The multi-tool system is a promising development in ongoing efforts to ensure the integrity of published research.

Spotting fake articles

Paper mills are paid to produce fake research papers, which can appear very similar to genuine manuscripts. According to Wiley, its new system uses 6 different approaches to identify what it calls “potentially compromised research content”:

• checking for similarity with existing paper mill papers
• flagging the use of “tortured phrases”
• identifying authors with unusual publication behaviour
• verifying the identity of researchers
• detecting potential misuse of generative AI
• checking that manuscripts fall within a journal’s scope.

The test run involved over 270 Wiley journals, which rejected between 600–1,000 submitted manuscripts per month once they started using the tool. A spokesperson for Wiley told Retraction Watch that flagged papers would not automatically be rejected, but would be considered by an editor before being processed further. The publisher says it is partnering with Sage and IEEE for its next testing phase, and aims to roll out the service as early as next year.

The test run involved over 270 Wiley journals, which rejected between 600–1,000 submitted manuscripts per month once they started using the tool.

Paper mill problems

Paper mills are a major source of articles that end up being retracted after publication. Most manuscripts retracted in 2023 were published by Hindawi, a subsidiary of Wiley, with a high proportion involving Chinese authors. This lead to a government-initiated review that required all university researchers in China to declare their retracted papers.

Last year, Wiley closed 4 Hindawi journals due to paper mill issues and announced that it will stop using the Hindawi brand. Wiley has since discontinued another 19 journals overseen by Hindawi, which it said was due to portfolio integration.

Possible solutions on the horizon

Investigations into retractions should help ensure the integrity of published research, but there is growing interest in using new tools such as Papermill Alarm to help stop fake papers getting published in the first place. Wiley say their new service will complement the STM Integrity Hub, a resource developed by academic publishers that incorporates Papermill Alarm and other tools to help combat fake science.

While much discussion around developments in AI has focused on possible threats to research integrity, spotting bogus manuscripts could be an area where AI could help restore trust in published science.

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