An audit of 2.5 million biomedical research papers has revealed that nearly 3,000 contained fake citations absent in scientific databases, highlighting an alarming trend in academic publishing as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) grows. The papers were published between January 1, 2023, and February 18, 2026, in PubMed Central's Open Access database, managed by the US' National Institutes of Health. The findings, published in a correspondence article in The Lancet journal, also showed that among 97.1 million verified references, researchers identified 4,046 fake citations across 2,810 papers -- a more than 12-fold growth since 2023, with the sharpest increase beginning mid-2024, coinciding with the rise of AI writing tools. "This discovery directly impacts patients as medical professionals make treatment decisions based on clinical guidelines," lead researcher Maxim Topaz, associate professor at Columbia University's school of nursing and data science institute, said. "A mediAn audit of 2.5 million biomedical research papers has revealed that nearly 3,000 contained fake citations absent in scientific databases, highlighting an alarming trend in academic publishing as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) grows. The papers were published between January 1, 2023, and February 18, 2026, in PubMed Central's Open Access database, managed by the US' National Institutes of Health. The findings, published in a correspondence article in The Lancet journal, also showed that among 97.1 million verified references, researchers identified 4,046 fake citations across 2,810 papers -- a more than 12-fold growth since 2023, with the sharpest increase beginning mid-2024, coinciding with the rise of AI writing tools. "This discovery directly impacts patients as medical professionals make treatment decisions based on clinical guidelines," lead researcher Maxim Topaz, associate professor at Columbia University's school of nursing and data science institute, said. "A medi Latest News [ SOBAN NEWS: International and National ]
