Anna Abalkina
@abalkina.bsky.social
Researcher at FU Berlin •Nature's 10 2024 •Creator of RW #Hijackedjournals checker •Scientific misconduct •Plagiarism • #papermills •Corruption in higher education
This invitation to contribute to the J. of S.Health (see a screenshot) with video and PPT materials reminded me of an anecdote. A professor comes to give a lecture about love.
Love, he begins, can take many forms. For example, between a man and a woman. Students: Slides, please. 1/2
Love, he begins, can take many forms. For example, between a man and a woman. Students: Slides, please. 1/2
November 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM
This invitation to contribute to the J. of S.Health (see a screenshot) with video and PPT materials reminded me of an anecdote. A professor comes to give a lecture about love.
Love, he begins, can take many forms. For example, between a man and a woman. Students: Slides, please. 1/2
Love, he begins, can take many forms. For example, between a man and a woman. Students: Slides, please. 1/2
Berlin Science Week. Oxford-style debate. Should we publish in academic journals?
November 7, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Berlin Science Week. Oxford-style debate. Should we publish in academic journals?
New descriptive statistics tables in T&F journals produced by a paper mill. Do you notice anything wrong with them?
#papermills
#papermills
November 7, 2025 at 9:10 AM
New descriptive statistics tables in T&F journals produced by a paper mill. Do you notice anything wrong with them?
#papermills
#papermills
I'm very grateful to DomainTools for providing access to their instruments to analyse web domains. Thanks to this tool I have just found two hijacked journals which will be added to the Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker during the next update.
October 30, 2025 at 9:44 PM
I'm very grateful to DomainTools for providing access to their instruments to analyse web domains. Thanks to this tool I have just found two hijacked journals which will be added to the Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker during the next update.
It's already 3 years since I'm looking at Tanu.pro paper mill. Tanu.pro is an email domain that the paper mill used to submit papers. When this fraud was detected, the paper mill abandoned it and it expired. Now I found that the domain is registered again in an anonymous registrar in Reykjavik.
October 29, 2025 at 9:37 AM
The study which, I believe, is from a paper mill that I'm looking at, publishes this kind of table. Negative values of GDP (in the paper it's GDP but not a growth rate), strange SD values, negative interest rates (which can be in the case of Japan but min should be -0.1 but not -0.03). #papermills
October 28, 2025 at 10:05 AM
The study which, I believe, is from a paper mill that I'm looking at, publishes this kind of table. Negative values of GDP (in the paper it's GDP but not a growth rate), strange SD values, negative interest rates (which can be in the case of Japan but min should be -0.1 but not -0.03). #papermills
Sightseeing day around Germany! Such wonderful weather, and I found a treasure, the city of Tangermünde, right in the heart of Germany.
October 19, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Sightseeing day around Germany! Such wonderful weather, and I found a treasure, the city of Tangermünde, right in the heart of Germany.
Happy to be in the Tagesspiegel office which hosts 100 scientists of Berlin and Brandenburg of 2025.
October 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Happy to be in the Tagesspiegel office which hosts 100 scientists of Berlin and Brandenburg of 2025.
The paper mill probably forgot to include several sections in the paper, including the data and results. The Methods section mentions a survey that is never described in the paper. Immediately after the methods section comes the conclusion. Yet, the paper was still published.
October 13, 2025 at 7:57 AM
The paper mill probably forgot to include several sections in the paper, including the data and results. The Methods section mentions a survey that is never described in the paper. Immediately after the methods section comes the conclusion. Yet, the paper was still published.
Finally I get invitations from hijacked journals to publish with them. It will go immediately to Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker. Please, send me more.
October 9, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Finally I get invitations from hijacked journals to publish with them. It will go immediately to Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker. Please, send me more.
I’m honored to be named one of Tagesspiegel’s “100 Researchers of Berlin” for 2025, featured in today’s category “Swimming against the current.” Grateful to be recognized alongside inspiring researchers who challenge convention and push boundaries
October 8, 2025 at 6:07 AM
I’m honored to be named one of Tagesspiegel’s “100 Researchers of Berlin” for 2025, featured in today’s category “Swimming against the current.” Grateful to be recognized alongside inspiring researchers who challenge convention and push boundaries
There’s a striking pattern among the top journals targeted by an Indian paper mill. All have sharply increased their publication number in recent years.
Is this growth driven by publisher goals, a surge in submissions due to AI, or both?
#papermills
Is this growth driven by publisher goals, a surge in submissions due to AI, or both?
#papermills
October 3, 2025 at 11:28 AM
There’s a striking pattern among the top journals targeted by an Indian paper mill. All have sharply increased their publication number in recent years.
Is this growth driven by publisher goals, a surge in submissions due to AI, or both?
#papermills
Is this growth driven by publisher goals, a surge in submissions due to AI, or both?
#papermills
I found a watermark of an Indian paper mill, which helped me identify 100+ papers over the weekend. So far, 490 papers have been detected. Most authors are from India, China, and Saudi Arabia. Only 4 papers have been retracted. Papers are full of fake data, yet they still get published. #papermills
September 30, 2025 at 9:42 AM
I found a watermark of an Indian paper mill, which helped me identify 100+ papers over the weekend. So far, 490 papers have been detected. Most authors are from India, China, and Saudi Arabia. Only 4 papers have been retracted. Papers are full of fake data, yet they still get published. #papermills
How many and what kind of mistakes can you spot in this table?
September 28, 2025 at 9:05 AM
How many and what kind of mistakes can you spot in this table?
I’m looking at a specific paper mill in India. So far, I have detected 339 papers, 105 of which were published in 2025. Only the biggest publishers are being targeted. Only two papers have been retracted.
This is the dashboard of a paper mill.
lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/36...
#papermills
This is the dashboard of a paper mill.
lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/36...
#papermills
September 25, 2025 at 10:47 AM
I’m looking at a specific paper mill in India. So far, I have detected 339 papers, 105 of which were published in 2025. Only the biggest publishers are being targeted. Only two papers have been retracted.
This is the dashboard of a paper mill.
lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/36...
#papermills
This is the dashboard of a paper mill.
lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/36...
#papermills
Catch of the day. Do you find anything wrong here?
September 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Catch of the day. Do you find anything wrong here?
This is a great article on paper mills by Lea Wolz (in German). It provides a general overview of paper mills and their impact on science. It gives examples of how fake papers penetrate Cochrane reviews and bias recommendations. Highly recommended!
www.quarks.de/gesellschaft...
#papermills
www.quarks.de/gesellschaft...
#papermills
Fake-Studien: Dubiose Firmen unterwandern die Wissenschaft
Die Zahl an Fake-Studien von dubiosen Firmen steigt rasant. Wie groß ist das Problem – und kann dieser wissenschaftliche Müll Patienten schaden? Wissenschaftler warnen vor den Folgen.
www.quarks.de
September 20, 2025 at 7:18 PM
This is a great article on paper mills by Lea Wolz (in German). It provides a general overview of paper mills and their impact on science. It gives examples of how fake papers penetrate Cochrane reviews and bias recommendations. Highly recommended!
www.quarks.de/gesellschaft...
#papermills
www.quarks.de/gesellschaft...
#papermills
Today I find myself in an unusual territory. I will give a talk at the legendary International Mathematical Union in Berlin! I'm very grateful to Prof.Agricola for the invitation to discuss the problem of paper mills.
September 19, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Today I find myself in an unusual territory. I will give a talk at the legendary International Mathematical Union in Berlin! I'm very grateful to Prof.Agricola for the invitation to discuss the problem of paper mills.
This is another wake-up call about what is happening with scientific literature, which is being flooded by template papers produced by paper mills. One example is the use of open-access databases like FAERS or NHANES, combined with analyses that rely on biased or incorrect methodologies.
Exclusive: Journal bans drug safety database papers as they flood the literature
celafon/iStockPhoto Starting around 2023, a curious trend took hold in papers on drug safety monitoring. The number of articles published on an individual drug and its link to specific adverse even…
retractionwatch.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
This is another wake-up call about what is happening with scientific literature, which is being flooded by template papers produced by paper mills. One example is the use of open-access databases like FAERS or NHANES, combined with analyses that rely on biased or incorrect methodologies.
Paper mills discover new dimensions. A Ukrainian one paved the way for sleuthing and published a misconduct report about the vice minister of education. An Indian one offers nursing jobs in Germany.
#papermills
#papermills
September 2, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Paper mills discover new dimensions. A Ukrainian one paved the way for sleuthing and published a misconduct report about the vice minister of education. An Indian one offers nursing jobs in Germany.
#papermills
#papermills
Flying to Peer Review Congress 2025! Together with Svetlana Kleiner, I’ll be giving a podium presentation: “Patterns of Paper Mill Papers and Retraction Challenges.” Thrilled to be on-site for the first time!
#PRC25
#PRC25
September 2, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Flying to Peer Review Congress 2025! Together with Svetlana Kleiner, I’ll be giving a podium presentation: “Patterns of Paper Mill Papers and Retraction Challenges.” Thrilled to be on-site for the first time!
#PRC25
#PRC25
Relaxing from work. Cooked up some buzara mussels.
August 23, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Relaxing from work. Cooked up some buzara mussels.
Reposted by Anna Abalkina
New paper:
Tackling paper mills requires us to prevent future contamination and clean up the past – the case of the journal Bioengineered
With @deadneanderthals.bsky.social, @smutclyde.bsky.social, @mortenoxe.bsky.social, @thatsregrettab1.bsky.social, and me
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Tackling paper mills requires us to prevent future contamination and clean up the past – the case of the journal Bioengineered
With @deadneanderthals.bsky.social, @smutclyde.bsky.social, @mortenoxe.bsky.social, @thatsregrettab1.bsky.social, and me
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Tackling paper mills requires us to prevent future contamination and clean up the past – the case of the journal Bioengineered
Taylor & Francis journal Bioengineered has been targeted by paper mills. Our goal is to identify problematic articles published in Bioengineered during the period 2010 to 2024. Dimensions was used ...
www.tandfonline.com
August 22, 2025 at 4:15 AM
New paper:
Tackling paper mills requires us to prevent future contamination and clean up the past – the case of the journal Bioengineered
With @deadneanderthals.bsky.social, @smutclyde.bsky.social, @mortenoxe.bsky.social, @thatsregrettab1.bsky.social, and me
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Tackling paper mills requires us to prevent future contamination and clean up the past – the case of the journal Bioengineered
With @deadneanderthals.bsky.social, @smutclyde.bsky.social, @mortenoxe.bsky.social, @thatsregrettab1.bsky.social, and me
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Anna Abalkina
A paper that combines #peerreview & cheese... what could be better? Answer: writing said paper with @abalkina.bsky.social @image-integrity.bsky.social & Marie Souliere. Read on to learn how the Swiss Cheese Model could help peer review & #researchintegrity onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Rethinking Peer Review Using the Swiss Cheese Model to Better Flag Problematic Manuscripts
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 19, 2025 at 11:14 AM
A paper that combines #peerreview & cheese... what could be better? Answer: writing said paper with @abalkina.bsky.social @image-integrity.bsky.social & Marie Souliere. Read on to learn how the Swiss Cheese Model could help peer review & #researchintegrity onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Great initiative by Wiley! The publisher has started marking retracted papers in reference lists. When you click on the retraction notice, you can also see the date and reason for the retraction.
All publishers should adopt this practice. But also screen references during submission.
All publishers should adopt this practice. But also screen references during submission.
August 3, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Great initiative by Wiley! The publisher has started marking retracted papers in reference lists. When you click on the retraction notice, you can also see the date and reason for the retraction.
All publishers should adopt this practice. But also screen references during submission.
All publishers should adopt this practice. But also screen references during submission.