Researchers warn that organised scientific fraud now acts like an industry. (How bad science is becoming big business)
This trend threatens trust in evidence used in health and education. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The problem goes beyond lone bad actors. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Paper mills now sell fake papers and authorships as commercial products. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Brokerage services guarantee publication for a fee in some cases. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Predatory journals offer fast publication without quality checks. (How bad science is becoming big business)
These services use polite labels like “editing” and “consulting” to hide fraud. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Paper mills flood journals with formulaic submissions to overwhelm reviewers. (How bad science is becoming big business)
They use journal targeting and journal hopping to game acceptance odds. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The result is a numbers game that sometimes wins by simple probability. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Generative AI accelerates the production of low-quality or fabricated papers. (How bad science is becoming big business)
AI helps produce surface-level manuscripts at unprecedented speed. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Review systems now face an avalanche of submissions. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Peer reviewers report far higher submission volumes than a few years ago. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Overloaded reviewers sometimes use AI to help screen and summarise work. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Some fraudsters embed hidden text to manipulate AI-assisted review tools. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The peer review system remains essential but now shows serious strain. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Batch retractions indicate an industrial-scale problem in the literature. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Research shows retractions climbed sharply in recent years. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
One database recorded thousands of retractions between 2020 and 2022. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Retracted work sometimes continues to be cited as if valid. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Postretraction citations remain common across biomedical fields. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Authors may cite retracted studies unknowingly. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Many journals do not check references for retracted sources. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Databases and curated resources sometimes keep retracted data. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
This contamination spreads errors into secondary analyses and guidelines. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
The Conversation author calls the model a direct threat to scientific progress. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The author warns that incentives create vulnerabilities exploitable by fraud. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Publish-or-perish pressures push some researchers toward short cuts. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Funding cuts and tighter budgets increase competition for publishable work. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Globalisation and metrics-focused careers widen the problem. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai researchers now face similar global pressures in academia. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai universities use publication counts in hiring and promotion. (How bad science is becoming big business)
This dynamic raises the risk of shortcut temptations in Thailand. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Health research in Thailand could suffer if fake studies propagate. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Clinical guidelines and public health policies could adopt flawed evidence. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai medical practitioners cite international research in practice guidelines. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Contaminated literature risks poor clinical or policy decisions. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Education research in Thailand could also be misled by bad studies. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Policymakers may adopt ineffective teaching methods based on flawed data. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai tourism and cultural policy research could cite corrupted evidence. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The stakes rise when economic or public safety decisions rely on research. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Experts suggest multiple complementary fixes to slow fraud. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Journals must strengthen automated screening for image and data manipulation. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Publishers should adopt plagiarism and AI-detection tools at scale. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Universities should audit publications tied to promotions and rewards. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Funding bodies must value quality over raw publication counts. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Research assessments should include reproducibility and data sharing checks. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thailand’s research funders can revise grant rules to reward openness. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai universities can require raw data deposition for promoted work. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Academic training should teach research ethics and data literacy early. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai graduate programmes should include mandatory reproducibility checks. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Whistleblower protections need strengthening in Thai institutions. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Cultural norms like saving face can hinder timely reporting. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Anonymous reporting channels may work better in Thai settings. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai journals should join international databases that flag retractions. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Automated cross-checks against Retraction Watch help stop postretraction citations. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Local publishers must label retractions clearly and include reasons. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Clear notices reduce the chance that retracted work remains cited as valid. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Database curators should purge retracted entries from knowledgebases. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Thai research databases must flag or remove corrupted records. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Clinical guideline committees must verify cited evidence against retraction lists. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Policy teams should use trusted systematic reviews as primary sources. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Research ethics offices must investigate suspicious publication chains. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Institutions should sanction faculty who buy authorships or commission fake work. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Governments can support national tools to screen submissions for fraud. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai ministries can fund shared infrastructure for data verification. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Regional collaboration across ASEAN can share best practices rapidly. (How bad science is becoming big business)
A cultural shift must reduce incentives for quantity-driven output. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thai academia should celebrate replication and negative results openly. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Public communication must stress that science self-corrects but needs help. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Journalists should verify study status before reporting new findings. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Newsrooms can use retraction databases when vetting health stories. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Thai media can educate the public on how to spot weak studies. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Schools can teach basic research literacy to parents and students. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Families can then assess health and education claims more critically. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Hospitals should vet research before adopting new clinical protocols. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Thai hospitals can require external validation for studies that change practice. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Professional societies should issue alerts when fraudulent patterns arise. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Academic leaders must model integrity and avoid metric obsession. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Funders should pilot grant rules rewarding open methods and sharing. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Peer reviewers need time and institutional recognition for quality reviews. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Universities can reward thorough review work in promotion criteria. (How bad science is becoming big business)
If Thailand acts early, research integrity can strengthen national science. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Better systems will protect patients, students, and public trust. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The path requires action across publishers, funders, and institutions. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thailand must adapt global solutions to local culture and systems. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Start by auditing high-impact local journals and university reward systems. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Mandate data availability for studies that affect national policy. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Train a new generation of researchers in ethics and reproducibility. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Use technical tools to screen submissions and flag anomalies early. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Communicate retractions clearly to practitioners and the public. (Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review)
Pursue regional cooperation to share fraud detection resources. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The Conversation piece ends with a warning and a call for structural change. (How bad science is becoming big business)
The journalism community must report responsibly on new studies. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Policymakers must not rely on single studies for major decisions. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Scientists must hold each other accountable on methods and data. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Thailand has the chance to lead on research integrity in Southeast Asia. (How bad science is becoming big business)
Action now will protect patients, students, and national reputation. (How bad science is becoming big business)