Mark A. Hanson
@hansonmark.bsky.social
New PI interested in #immune #evolution, host #pathogen interactions, and #ScientificPublishing @ University of Exeter, UK. He/him. 🇨🇦
Want to support my scientific publishing work? Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/insectpathogenlab/tip
Want to support my scientific publishing work? Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/insectpathogenlab/tip
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
#SpecialIssues have fueled the growth of some of the largest #OpenAccess publishers. Does a journal that allows a #GuestEditor to both plan a special issue and write many articles in it have a conflict of interest? #scicomm #peerreview @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Some guest editors pack special issues with their own articles
Thousands have penned more than one-third of a journal issue, raising conflict-of-interest concerns
www.science.org
January 17, 2026 at 2:09 AM
#SpecialIssues have fueled the growth of some of the largest #OpenAccess publishers. Does a journal that allows a #GuestEditor to both plan a special issue and write many articles in it have a conflict of interest? #scicomm #peerreview @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Another banger by Paolo Crosetto, Pablo Gómez Barreiro, and Mark Austin Hanson! While special issues with guest editors are not a problem in themselves, journals that build a business model around then invites people to start gaming the system...
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 19, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Another banger by Paolo Crosetto, Pablo Gómez Barreiro, and Mark Austin Hanson! While special issues with guest editors are not a problem in themselves, journals that build a business model around then invites people to start gaming the system...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
This looks 🔥🔥🔥
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
Ever wonder what proportion of high profile social media research is tied to the tech industry?
New from me, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social and @carlbergstrom.com.
Thread tomorrow.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.11507
New from me, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social and @carlbergstrom.com.
Thread tomorrow.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.11507
Industry Influence in High-Profile Social Media Research
To what extent is social media research independent from industry influence? Leveraging openly available data, we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to indus...
arxiv.org
January 19, 2026 at 3:49 AM
This looks 🔥🔥🔥
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
A long, absolutely must-read article from Cory Doctorow: www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage | Cory Doctorow
AI is asbestos in the walls of our tech society, stuffed there by monopolists run amok. A serious fight against it must strike at its roots
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 9:01 PM
A long, absolutely must-read article from Cory Doctorow: www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Canada 🇨🇦
Mark Carney, Premier ministre canadien, déclare que si le Danemark invoque l'article 5 de l'OTAN pour se protéger d'une agression des USA alors Ottawa répondra présent et se rangera du côté du Danemark contre les États-Unis.
Mark Carney, Premier ministre canadien, déclare que si le Danemark invoque l'article 5 de l'OTAN pour se protéger d'une agression des USA alors Ottawa répondra présent et se rangera du côté du Danemark contre les États-Unis.
January 18, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Canada 🇨🇦
Mark Carney, Premier ministre canadien, déclare que si le Danemark invoque l'article 5 de l'OTAN pour se protéger d'une agression des USA alors Ottawa répondra présent et se rangera du côté du Danemark contre les États-Unis.
Mark Carney, Premier ministre canadien, déclare que si le Danemark invoque l'article 5 de l'OTAN pour se protéger d'une agression des USA alors Ottawa répondra présent et se rangera du côté du Danemark contre les États-Unis.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
This. @seanmcarroll.bsky.social had a great episode on Mindscape making the argument for a free-thinking academic environment. Holiday Message 2025: the romance of the university.
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
January 17, 2026 at 10:48 PM
This. @seanmcarroll.bsky.social had a great episode on Mindscape making the argument for a free-thinking academic environment. Holiday Message 2025: the romance of the university.
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Enterococcus fans: Check out our latest on E. faecalis EET, advancing our understanding of both the fundamental physiology of this bug and new mechanisms of its virulence. This is the product of a thrilling collaboration with friends in Singapore @gthibault.bsky.social led by @aarontan.bsky.social.
We’ve discovered how the superbug E. faecalis prevents chronic wounds from healing.
It’s not a toxin. It’s metabolism.
The bacteria use extracellular electron transport (EET) to electrochemically generate ROS, effectively "freezing" skin cells in place.
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb5297
It’s not a toxin. It’s metabolism.
The bacteria use extracellular electron transport (EET) to electrochemically generate ROS, effectively "freezing" skin cells in place.
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb5297
Enterococcus faecalis redox metabolism activates the unfolded protein response to impair wound healing
E. faecalis EET generates ROS, which induces the UPR in keratinocytes, inhibiting in vitro migration.
doi.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Enterococcus fans: Check out our latest on E. faecalis EET, advancing our understanding of both the fundamental physiology of this bug and new mechanisms of its virulence. This is the product of a thrilling collaboration with friends in Singapore @gthibault.bsky.social led by @aarontan.bsky.social.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
No surprise to learn X is still permitting users to post these images generated by Grok despite claiming it had taken action. Enough is enough. @ofcom.bsky.social MUST use its powers to shut this down www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
X still allowing users to post sexualised images generated by Grok AI tool
Despite restrictions announced this week, Guardian reporters find standalone app continues to allow posting of nonconsensual content
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:44 AM
No surprise to learn X is still permitting users to post these images generated by Grok despite claiming it had taken action. Enough is enough. @ofcom.bsky.social MUST use its powers to shut this down www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
"So Clarivate, DOAJ, and other indexers and watchdogs, you know what to do. Cleanse the pool. Stop the PISS." And MDPI, stop the fraud 🤪
Go check their Special Issues Endogeny Explorer to know if your favourite journal is full of PISS: lnkd.in/eqhdxpCF arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Go check their Special Issues Endogeny Explorer to know if your favourite journal is full of PISS: lnkd.in/eqhdxpCF arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
The Issue with Special Issues: when Guest Editors Publish in Support of Self
The recent exceptional growth in the number of special issues has led to the largest delegation of editorial power in the history of scientific publishing. Has this power been used responsibly? In thi...
arxiv.org
January 15, 2026 at 6:09 AM
"So Clarivate, DOAJ, and other indexers and watchdogs, you know what to do. Cleanse the pool. Stop the PISS." And MDPI, stop the fraud 🤪
Go check their Special Issues Endogeny Explorer to know if your favourite journal is full of PISS: lnkd.in/eqhdxpCF arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Go check their Special Issues Endogeny Explorer to know if your favourite journal is full of PISS: lnkd.in/eqhdxpCF arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Read this before you consider publishing in a special issue, or, even more important, being the guest editor of a special issue.
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Read this before you consider publishing in a special issue, or, even more important, being the guest editor of a special issue.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Please cascade
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Please cascade
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
cursed vulva plots
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 12:14 PM
cursed vulva plots
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Je n'ai pas la maturité suffisante pour lire ça sans éclater de rire à chaque phrase :D
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Je n'ai pas la maturité suffisante pour lire ça sans éclater de rire à chaque phrase :D
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Friends don’t let friends publish in MDPI!
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Friends don’t let friends publish in MDPI!
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
This PISSes me off...
Los números especiales se están cargando la integridad de la publicación científica. Cualquiera que se preste a coordinar uno de estos supuestos "números especiales" está colaborando en ello.
Los números especiales se están cargando la integridad de la publicación científica. Cualquiera que se preste a coordinar uno de estos supuestos "números especiales" está colaborando en ello.
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 9:21 AM
This PISSes me off...
Los números especiales se están cargando la integridad de la publicación científica. Cualquiera que se preste a coordinar uno de estos supuestos "números especiales" está colaborando en ello.
Los números especiales se están cargando la integridad de la publicación científica. Cualquiera que se preste a coordinar uno de estos supuestos "números especiales" está colaborando en ello.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
More reasons to entirely boycott MDPI journals
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 8:14 AM
More reasons to entirely boycott MDPI journals
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
I really admire the work of this team, on an ongoing basis. They provide numbers and evidence for research integrity concerns that we have been seeing for quite a few years. And so many academics seem to prefer to ignore the issues and continue to support predatory-like publishing. 👏⬇️
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 15, 2026 at 2:33 AM
I really admire the work of this team, on an ongoing basis. They provide numbers and evidence for research integrity concerns that we have been seeing for quite a few years. And so many academics seem to prefer to ignore the issues and continue to support predatory-like publishing. 👏⬇️
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Peer Review is broken because a generation of Editors were trained that peer review is sacrosanct. Thus we have Editors who are clerks, sending and re-sending manuscripts to reviewers until they are happy. That's not the job. Be an Editor, not a clerk. Use your skill and judgement. Make decisions.
January 14, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Peer Review is broken because a generation of Editors were trained that peer review is sacrosanct. Thus we have Editors who are clerks, sending and re-sending manuscripts to reviewers until they are happy. That's not the job. Be an Editor, not a clerk. Use your skill and judgement. Make decisions.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
This is fascinating. I get regular requests to be a guest editor from Frontiers and MDPI journals & always ignore them because the workload would be extreme for a very small benefit to me. Never occurred to me that I could just write all the articles myself!
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:58 PM
This is fascinating. I get regular requests to be a guest editor from Frontiers and MDPI journals & always ignore them because the workload would be extreme for a very small benefit to me. Never occurred to me that I could just write all the articles myself!
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
When is publishing just self-promotion? When it is PISS
Once again the geniuses behind 'the Strain' bring new insights and massive data to highlight problematic publishing.
Fight the Strain: shorturl.at/z7XMv
Stop the Drain: shorturl.at/M9rVM
Cleanse the Stain: shorturl.at/sYseu
Chapeau!
Once again the geniuses behind 'the Strain' bring new insights and massive data to highlight problematic publishing.
Fight the Strain: shorturl.at/z7XMv
Stop the Drain: shorturl.at/M9rVM
Cleanse the Stain: shorturl.at/sYseu
Chapeau!
January 14, 2026 at 5:23 PM
When is publishing just self-promotion? When it is PISS
Once again the geniuses behind 'the Strain' bring new insights and massive data to highlight problematic publishing.
Fight the Strain: shorturl.at/z7XMv
Stop the Drain: shorturl.at/M9rVM
Cleanse the Stain: shorturl.at/sYseu
Chapeau!
Once again the geniuses behind 'the Strain' bring new insights and massive data to highlight problematic publishing.
Fight the Strain: shorturl.at/z7XMv
Stop the Drain: shorturl.at/M9rVM
Cleanse the Stain: shorturl.at/sYseu
Chapeau!
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
And there's a hat trick for @hansonmark.bsky.social et Al!
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 14, 2026 at 7:50 PM
And there's a hat trick for @hansonmark.bsky.social et Al!
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Whoever came up with the acronym deserves an award. "Published In Support of Self" truly is PISS on a pile of predatory pedantry.
The solution? Fund peer review. Fund academic publication. Give it independent, rigorous oversight.
It should be a public service, not a careerist cash cow.
The solution? Fund peer review. Fund academic publication. Give it independent, rigorous oversight.
It should be a public service, not a careerist cash cow.
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 14, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Whoever came up with the acronym deserves an award. "Published In Support of Self" truly is PISS on a pile of predatory pedantry.
The solution? Fund peer review. Fund academic publication. Give it independent, rigorous oversight.
It should be a public service, not a careerist cash cow.
The solution? Fund peer review. Fund academic publication. Give it independent, rigorous oversight.
It should be a public service, not a careerist cash cow.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
The Issue with Special Issues: when Guest Editors Publish in Support of Self. arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Thanks @hansonmark.bsky.social for putting the effort in documenting this plague.
We need to stop it. #PISS is damaging academia.
Thanks @hansonmark.bsky.social for putting the effort in documenting this plague.
We need to stop it. #PISS is damaging academia.
The Issue with Special Issues: when Guest Editors Publish in Support of Self
The recent exceptional growth in the number of special issues has led to the largest delegation of editorial power in the history of scientific publishing. Has this power been used responsibly? In thi...
arxiv.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The Issue with Special Issues: when Guest Editors Publish in Support of Self. arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Thanks @hansonmark.bsky.social for putting the effort in documenting this plague.
We need to stop it. #PISS is damaging academia.
Thanks @hansonmark.bsky.social for putting the effort in documenting this plague.
We need to stop it. #PISS is damaging academia.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
I despise the coining of new acronyms.
Except this one: when is a paper in a special issue PISS (Published In Support of Self)? The answer, of course, is way too often.
Except this one: when is a paper in a special issue PISS (Published In Support of Self)? The answer, of course, is way too often.
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 5:12 PM
I despise the coining of new acronyms.
Except this one: when is a paper in a special issue PISS (Published In Support of Self)? The answer, of course, is way too often.
Except this one: when is a paper in a special issue PISS (Published In Support of Self)? The answer, of course, is way too often.