A new audit published in The Lancet has flagged large-scale fabrication in biomedical literature, finding thousands of citations pointing to medical research that does not exist. Researchers identified 4,046 fabricated references across 2,810 published papers, raising alarms about how misinformation can enter peer-reviewed work and distort future studies, clinical decisions, and funding priorities.
A major academic journal reports AI assisted submissions jumped 42% since November 2022, alongside a noticeable decline in writing quality. Researchers say peer review is under heavier strain as more manuscripts arrive, often using AI to speed drafting. The pattern points to a faster growth in volume of research rather than improvements in rigor or reliability.
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