Episode 82: Paper mills

Episode 82: Paper mills

Author: Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie September 2, 2025 Duration: 47:07

In our last standard episode, we talked about retraction—removing papers from the scientific literature. Well, it turns out there’s an awful lot of retraction to do, in large part due to paper mills. These are fraudulent enterprises that take money from nefarious scientists to put their name on fake scientific papers, and get them published in whatever journal will accept them. Sadly, paper mill papers are now rife.

In this solo episode of The Studies Show (Tom is away at a wedding), Stuart talks through a new paper showing just how badly these paper mills have poisoned the scientific literature.

Show notes

* The new PNAS paper using various techniques to examine coordinated attempts at scientific fraud

* A response from PLOS

* The Retraction Watch article on ARDA

* A few interesting recent articles on paper mills

* The Nature News article on the universities with the most retractions

* AI versus paper mills

Credits

The Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

Every week, Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie pull apart the biggest arguments and most confusing claims making headlines. Science Fictions isn't just about celebrating breakthroughs; it's a necessary dive into the messy, contested, and often surprising realities of how science actually works. You'll hear them unpack heated debates, examine questionable studies, and explore why even solid research can sometimes lead to public confusion. This podcast serves as a guide through the noise, separating compelling evidence from overblown narratives. Each episode feels like a conversation with two deeply informed friends who aren't afraid to ask tough questions, offering clarity on topics that matter. For anyone curious about the stories behind the science headlines, this is an essential listen. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that goes beyond the press release, grounded in a genuine fascination with how we know what we know.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Science Fictions
Podcast Episodes
Episode 87: Does Tylenol cause autism? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:43
You requested; we delivered. Lots of Science Fictions listeners have asked us to take a look into Donald Trump and RFK, Jr.’s recent claims about Tylenol (that is, paracetamol or acetaminophen—all the same thing). Does i…
Paid-only episode 23: Suicide contagion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:40
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.comWarning: As you can tell from the title, this podcast covers a potentially distressing topic.Recent events have had us wonderin…
Episode 86: Food and climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:54
How can both of the following be true? (1) The world has record crop harvests this year; (2) climate change is ruining crop harvests and threatening food security. Does that make sense? Is it even really a contradiction?…
Episode 85: Insectageddon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:16
What is that? What is that!? What is it!? Augh! No! Not the bees! NOT THE BEES! AAAAAUGGGHHHHH MY EYES! MY EYES! AAAGGHHHH!!!!This episode is about bees. And all insects, actually—are they in the process of being wiped o…
Episode 84: Brain training [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:04
5—6—3—4—3—1—7—2In the first episode under our new podcast name (it’s now the Science Fictions podcast!), we ask whatever happened to all those games that claimed to tell you your “brain age”—games that turned into a whol…
Episode 83: Dark matter and dark energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:41
Where is most of the universe? And why don't we know yet? Yes—we’re talking about dark matter and dark energy, the mysterious stuff that’s predicted by physical theory, but which still remains elusive in experiments.Afte…
Unpaywalled: Diversity training [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:08
We’re very sorry about the disrupted service over this summer! It’s been hectic with work and a house move and various things. To tide you over, here’s a formerly paywalled episode: our very first one.…If you’ve ever don…
Episode 81: Retraction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:53
RETRACTED // In this episode of The Studies Show, Tom and Stuart discuss retraction, the process of removing articles from the scientific record. How often is it due to fraud? How many papers get retracted—and is the num…
Episode 80: Mindfulness meditation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:59
Pay attention. Focus on your breathing. Live in the moment. Accept yourself. Do you have a self? Focus on that self. And so on. This is, of course, the practice of mindfulness meditation, which seems to be everywhere: in…
Episode 79: Cancer rates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:11
Are cancer rates going up or down? It seems like depending on where you look, you’ll find different answers to the question. What’s going on here — have some writers just got it completely wrong? Is it something to do wi…