On the Emergence of Tortured Phrases: A Threat to Scientific Integrity - The Example of 'Heavy Metal'

For some time, I have advocated for banning the term "heavy metal" from scientific literature due to its frequent misuse, suggesting "potentially toxic element" as a replacement. The rise of "tortured phrases," generated by paraphrasing software to avoid plagiarism detection, now further threatens scientific integrity. These nonsensical terms complicate comprehension and dilute the clarity essential for scientific discourse. For instance, "heavy metal" has been awkwardly replaced by terms like "substantial metal," undermining precise communication. Guillaume Cabanac and colleagues have been identifying these issues since March 2021, using tools like the Problematic Paper Screener to maintain the accuracy of scientific literature.