Fabricated references: a new threat to editorial integrity

Key Points

• The study aims to investigate the impact and prevalence of fabricated references in academic papers.
• Analysis of submitted manuscripts identifying fabricated references.
• Review of editorial policies addressing reference integrity.
• Survey of editors on their experiences with fabricated citations.
• Found that 15% of reviewed manuscripts contained fabricated references.
• Editors reported increased instances of reference fabrication over the past five years.
• Highlight the urgent need for stricter editorial controls and policies.