Mark Dingemanse
@dingemansemark.bsky.social
Language, interaction, tech • Here with doubts about the next monetizable monopoly... • papers https://markdingemanse.net • blog https://ideophone.org • fedi https://scholar.social/@dingemansemark/ • POSSE: Publish on Own Site, Syndicate Everywhere
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Welcome new followers! You may find me posting about linguistics, language technology, "AI", open research, epistemic injustice, home computing, and whatever captures my fancy. I blog at ideophone.org (since 2007) and my academic site —with PDFs of papers etc.— is markdingemanse.net
more news soon, apparently something will happen that rhymes with [redacted]
apparently you can be a @springernature.com branded journal, charge hefty APCs, and just outsource quality control to observant folks on BlueSky? amazing
apparently you can be a @springernature.com branded journal, charge hefty APCs, and just outsource quality control to observant folks on BlueSky? amazing
January 13, 2026 at 9:55 PM
more news soon, apparently something will happen that rhymes with [redacted]
apparently you can be a @springernature.com branded journal, charge hefty APCs, and just outsource quality control to observant folks on BlueSky? amazing
apparently you can be a @springernature.com branded journal, charge hefty APCs, and just outsource quality control to observant folks on BlueSky? amazing
hey @natureportfolio.nature.com do you ever wonder how many corrections, retractions AI slop papers, citation rings and peer review cartels it will take for for the nature dot com URL branding to outlive its value?
January 13, 2026 at 10:49 AM
hey @natureportfolio.nature.com do you ever wonder how many corrections, retractions AI slop papers, citation rings and peer review cartels it will take for for the nature dot com URL branding to outlive its value?
Evergreen tweet as the AI slop paper in @springernature.com HSSComms keeps doing the rounds
The reputation of @nature.com is suffering death by a thousand cuts thanks to this nature dot com URL branding (justified anyway IMO)
The reputation of @nature.com is suffering death by a thousand cuts thanks to this nature dot com URL branding (justified anyway IMO)
I remain amazed at the effectiveness of the "nature․com/journal/" URL branding which invariably leads many to assume that some work is published "in Nature" when in fact it's in one of the other >160 journals owned by Springer Nature...
January 13, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Evergreen tweet as the AI slop paper in @springernature.com HSSComms keeps doing the rounds
The reputation of @nature.com is suffering death by a thousand cuts thanks to this nature dot com URL branding (justified anyway IMO)
The reputation of @nature.com is suffering death by a thousand cuts thanks to this nature dot com URL branding (justified anyway IMO)
het is natuurlijk ook een grote schande dat Science het artikel van Plasterk cs. introk, alleen maar omdat het feiten verspreidde waarvan sommige wetenschappers (zoals @elisabethbik.bsky.social) vonden dat ze onjuist waren retractionwatch.com/2020/11/19/s...
Science retracts paper co-authored by high-profile scientist and former Dutch minister
Ronald Plasterk Science has retracted a 13-year-old paper, five years after data sleuth Elisabeth Bik first raised questions about issues with the images in the article. The paper, “Secondary…
retractionwatch.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:47 PM
het is natuurlijk ook een grote schande dat Science het artikel van Plasterk cs. introk, alleen maar omdat het feiten verspreidde waarvan sommige wetenschappers (zoals @elisabethbik.bsky.social) vonden dat ze onjuist waren retractionwatch.com/2020/11/19/s...
maar 'boter bij de vis', dat wel
January 12, 2026 at 3:43 PM
maar 'boter bij de vis', dat wel
TFW they ask you to include a table to account for every single of the precise 168 hours students will be expected to spend on this 6EC course
January 12, 2026 at 2:06 PM
TFW they ask you to include a table to account for every single of the precise 168 hours students will be expected to spend on this 6EC course
"Silence [...] is necessary for the emergence of persons. It is taken from us by machines that ape people. We could easily be made increasingly dependent on machines for speaking and for thinking, as we are already dependent on machines for moving."
Ivan Illich, Silence is a commons, 1984
Ivan Illich, Silence is a commons, 1984
Silence is a commons – The Ideophone
ideophone.org
January 12, 2026 at 12:41 PM
"Silence [...] is necessary for the emergence of persons. It is taken from us by machines that ape people. We could easily be made increasingly dependent on machines for speaking and for thinking, as we are already dependent on machines for moving."
Ivan Illich, Silence is a commons, 1984
Ivan Illich, Silence is a commons, 1984
Perfect to form a citation ring or review cartel!
January 10, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Perfect to form a citation ring or review cartel!
I wouldn't want my name associated with a journal that lets this kind of drivel through!
Colleague of mine reports he had trouble getting himself removed, but this epidode motivated him to try again bsky.app/profile/ding...
Colleague of mine reports he had trouble getting himself removed, but this epidode motivated him to try again bsky.app/profile/ding...
Colleague replies he handled some papers years ago, stopped when quality deteriorated, and has tried in vain to get his name removed from the list... so the journal isn't exactly scrupulous
January 9, 2026 at 7:43 PM
I wouldn't want my name associated with a journal that lets this kind of drivel through!
Colleague of mine reports he had trouble getting himself removed, but this epidode motivated him to try again bsky.app/profile/ding...
Colleague of mine reports he had trouble getting himself removed, but this epidode motivated him to try again bsky.app/profile/ding...
Colleague replies he handled some papers years ago, stopped when quality deteriorated, and has tried in vain to get his name removed from the list... so the journal isn't exactly scrupulous
January 9, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Colleague replies he handled some papers years ago, stopped when quality deteriorated, and has tried in vain to get his name removed from the list... so the journal isn't exactly scrupulous
geen krant, maar van weinig dingen heb ik zoveel leesplezier als de ERB @europeanreview.bsky.social
January 9, 2026 at 11:09 AM
geen krant, maar van weinig dingen heb ik zoveel leesplezier als de ERB @europeanreview.bsky.social
Oh wow good catch. And 251 of them have the keyword 'linguistics' !? This journal surely has gone down the drain (it used to be Palgrave Communications). I wrote to a colleague of mine listed on there to warn them
hmm @sobchuk.bsky.social I spot a couple MPI-EVA folks on there too... 😬
hmm @sobchuk.bsky.social I spot a couple MPI-EVA folks on there too... 😬
January 9, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Oh wow good catch. And 251 of them have the keyword 'linguistics' !? This journal surely has gone down the drain (it used to be Palgrave Communications). I wrote to a colleague of mine listed on there to warn them
hmm @sobchuk.bsky.social I spot a couple MPI-EVA folks on there too... 😬
hmm @sobchuk.bsky.social I spot a couple MPI-EVA folks on there too... 😬
So sorry they wasted your time like this. Nothing about this is simple. ECRs making mindful choices are the bright future of our field, and I'm determined to help where I can
January 8, 2026 at 9:49 PM
So sorry they wasted your time like this. Nothing about this is simple. ECRs making mindful choices are the bright future of our field, and I'm determined to help where I can
Of course it wasn't you, you would have burned this to the ground so thoroughly they'd wished they had actual rather than allegorical H2O 🔥
And good to hear you have stopped another one
And good to hear you have stopped another one
January 8, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Of course it wasn't you, you would have burned this to the ground so thoroughly they'd wished they had actual rather than allegorical H2O 🔥
And good to hear you have stopped another one
And good to hear you have stopped another one
First response by chief editor in. Have to say, the reference to SpringerNature protocols is not all that promising because they've gond all in on"AI" (second image from group.springernature.com/gp/group/ai/...)
January 8, 2026 at 8:01 PM
First response by chief editor in. Have to say, the reference to SpringerNature protocols is not all that promising because they've gond all in on"AI" (second image from group.springernature.com/gp/group/ai/...)
This is how to uphold standards of research integrity 👇👏
Thank you for sharing this! Recently, I decided to not submit our final manuscript which was accepted. We didn’t receive any feedback on our science and the only review we received was AI generated wording changes. It is the same journal. I emailed the editorial team too and I received no answer.
January 8, 2026 at 7:22 PM
This is how to uphold standards of research integrity 👇👏
I applaud you for doing the right thing.
Also @wmgbennett.bsky.social this is part of your answer: if they allow AI-generated reviews that's even fewer humans looking at the HSSComms submissions
Also @wmgbennett.bsky.social this is part of your answer: if they allow AI-generated reviews that's even fewer humans looking at the HSSComms submissions
January 8, 2026 at 7:07 PM
I applaud you for doing the right thing.
Also @wmgbennett.bsky.social this is part of your answer: if they allow AI-generated reviews that's even fewer humans looking at the HSSComms submissions
Also @wmgbennett.bsky.social this is part of your answer: if they allow AI-generated reviews that's even fewer humans looking at the HSSComms submissions
3. Internally, someone from the India-based editorial team will be assigned the blame (screenshot from Chief Editor's LinkedIn).
4. They will NOT say who handled the paper and how many 'reviewers' there were.
5. There will be no consequences for the handling editor or the chief editor.
3/3
4. They will NOT say who handled the paper and how many 'reviewers' there were.
5. There will be no consequences for the handling editor or the chief editor.
3/3
January 8, 2026 at 5:23 PM
3. Internally, someone from the India-based editorial team will be assigned the blame (screenshot from Chief Editor's LinkedIn).
4. They will NOT say who handled the paper and how many 'reviewers' there were.
5. There will be no consequences for the handling editor or the chief editor.
3/3
4. They will NOT say who handled the paper and how many 'reviewers' there were.
5. There will be no consequences for the handling editor or the chief editor.
3/3
1. They'll cling to the 'unedited version' caveat. As if missing bullshit, racism, and pseudoscience is a matter of just needing 'further editing'.
2. They'll throw the author under the bus for failing to disclose GenAI. As if non-disclosure is the problem instead of blatant AI slop.
2/n
2. They'll throw the author under the bus for failing to disclose GenAI. As if non-disclosure is the problem instead of blatant AI slop.
2/n
January 8, 2026 at 5:19 PM
1. They'll cling to the 'unedited version' caveat. As if missing bullshit, racism, and pseudoscience is a matter of just needing 'further editing'.
2. They'll throw the author under the bus for failing to disclose GenAI. As if non-disclosure is the problem instead of blatant AI slop.
2/n
2. They'll throw the author under the bus for failing to disclose GenAI. As if non-disclosure is the problem instead of blatant AI slop.
2/n
Re: the AI slop paper shared by @thomaspellard.bsky.social and @lameensouag.bsky.social, I wrote to the editors — will update when I get a reply, and will be following closely what they do.
Key point is that we should hold the *journal* accountable for this mess
I have a few predictions...
1/n
Key point is that we should hold the *journal* accountable for this mess
I have a few predictions...
1/n
January 8, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Re: the AI slop paper shared by @thomaspellard.bsky.social and @lameensouag.bsky.social, I wrote to the editors — will update when I get a reply, and will be following closely what they do.
Key point is that we should hold the *journal* accountable for this mess
I have a few predictions...
1/n
Key point is that we should hold the *journal* accountable for this mess
I have a few predictions...
1/n
Right? I think a key part must be that this @springernature.com journal is getting a huge surge in submissions and more and more of them get sent to 'friendly' or unexperienced editors who invite ditto reviewers. It might take only 2-3 people (one clueless editor, 1-2 clueless reviewers)?
January 8, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Right? I think a key part must be that this @springernature.com journal is getting a huge surge in submissions and more and more of them get sent to 'friendly' or unexperienced editors who invite ditto reviewers. It might take only 2-3 people (one clueless editor, 1-2 clueless reviewers)?
Oh that's easy: the author is GenAI-deluded and has confabulated the whole thing; the journal's incentives point towards accepting any confident-sounding work that pays APCs; the editors are not linguists and do not respect expertise; and AI slop duly delivers the required illusions of understanding
January 8, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Oh that's easy: the author is GenAI-deluded and has confabulated the whole thing; the journal's incentives point towards accepting any confident-sounding work that pays APCs; the editors are not linguists and do not respect expertise; and AI slop duly delivers the required illusions of understanding