Suspected distortion of citations in high-impact cancer journals.

Suspected paper mill articles in high-impact cancer journals inflate citation metrics by 50 to 100% within 1 to 3 years of publication.

• Why it matters: Citation manipulation can distort scientific communication, impact journal reputation, and unfairly influence author careers, yet the extent of this practice remains unclear.
• What they did: The study analyzed molecular cancer articles sharing features with retracted paper mill papers, revealing that suspected articles cited and were cited by other suspected papers, especially in journals previously linked to paper mills.
• The result: Citation patterns from suspected paper mill articles measurably inflated journal metrics, suggesting widespread manipulation that may hinder scientific progress and enable screening for citation fraud.