Open letter from fraud sleuths raises concerns over research integrity at Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports, a journal published by Springer Nature, has been criticised for publishing fraudulent research in an open letter signed by many well-known experts in research fraud. The letter highlights multiple cases where papers have passed the peer-review process despite containing glaring issues, from irrelevant references and tortured phrases to nonsensical figures.

The signatories of the letter, including well-known science sleuths Elisabeth Bik, Dorothy Bishop and Guillaume Cabanac, express disappointment over Springer Nature’s inadequate response to reports of flawed publications. One notable example cited involved a recently corrected article that had been flagged for containing numerous tortured phrases, indicative of attempts to bypass plagiarism detection. ‘For it to be negligence would require a remarkable degree of professional incompetence from a handling editor,’ wrote the authors.