#Academicpolicy

A landmark study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warns that organised scientific fraud — from “paper mills” and brokers to hijacked journals and paid authorships — is expanding faster than legitimate scholarly output, posing a serious threat to the credibility of science worldwide and raising urgent questions for Thailand’s universities and research funders. The analysis finds networks of actors producing and laundering fraudulent papers at scale, with compromised subfields showing dramatically higher retraction rates and evidence that fake publications may be doubling at a pace that outstrips honest research growth ((PNAS study); (Northwestern news release); (New York Times summary)).

When academic careers depend on publication counts and research funding hinges on scholarly output, what happens when an entire underground economy emerges to sell fake science? A groundbreaking investigation published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals a disturbing reality: organized scientific fraud networks are expanding faster than legitimate research, creating an existential crisis for academic integrity that directly threatens Thailand’s scientific credibility and public welfare.

The comprehensive analysis documents how sophisticated “paper mills” and criminal brokers have industrialized academic deception, manufacturing fraudulent research at unprecedented scale. These operations don’t just produce isolated fake studies—they systematically contaminate entire research fields through coordinated networks that researchers from Northwestern University describe as “essentially criminal organizations acting together to fake the process of science.” For Thailand’s rapidly expanding university sector, this represents both an immediate warning and a critical opportunity to protect the nation’s scientific reputation.

A growing underground economy in fake science threatens Thailand’s universities, public health, and international collaborations. A new assessment highlights how organized fraud networks are expanding faster than legitimate research, challenging the integrity of evidence-based policy and patient care in Thailand.

Researchers describe paper mills as sophisticated operations that deliver manufactured manuscripts, ghostwritten content, falsified images, and guaranteed publication placements. Fraud networks coordinate across journals and institutions, employing tactics such as editor manipulation and citation laundering. Data suggest retraction rates in affected areas are markedly higher, and fraudulent publications may be doubling every eighteen months, outpacing genuine scientific output. This dynamic reshapes how knowledge is built and trusted in Thai academia.