Print | Glossary on | Contact EVISA | Sitemap | Home

Training

QA/QC

Analytical Services

Database

Consultancy

Research

Newsletter

Vacancies

	EVISA - Who we are

	About Speciation

	Discussion Forum

	Services

	Links

	Glossary

The establishment of EVISA is funded by the EU through the Fifth Framework Programme (G7RT- CT- 2002- 05112).

Supporters of EVISA includes:

Home ›› About Speciation ›› Speciation News

How to Spot Fake Scientific Studies ?

(27.08.2025)

Fraudulent science is growing faster than legitimate research, according to a recent study. It is therefore very important to identify such fraudulent science in order to preserve scientific integrity by avoiding giving reference to wrong results.

Spotting fake scientific studies is like exposing a well-executed magic trick — it takes attention, critical thinking, and a few proven methods. Here are the key clues that may help to identify fake science:

1. Check the Author and Institution

Is the author using a private email address instead of an institutional one? That’s suspicious.
Are they affiliated with a recognized research institution, or do they lack credible academic ties?
Use platforms like Google Scholar, PubMed or ORCID to check their publication history and impact (e.g., h-index).
Evaluate if author's track record matches the paper's topic
If all authors are unknown and have no track record, that’s a red flag.

2. Evaluate the Journal

Was the study published in a reputable journal? Is the journal indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed or EVISA Journal database?
Does it have a clear impact factor (via Journal Citation Reports, not just claims)?
Is the journal listed on Beall’s List or known for predatory publishing?
Has the journal been delisted from major databases due to ethical or quality issues?
Predatory papers are often published in journals with very broad or unrelated topics published in the same journal
Fraudulent journals lack peer-reviewing, showing up in fast acceptance and publication after submission (sometimes within days)
Is the editorial board of the journal given ? Are well known scientists part of the board ?

3. Publisher legitimacy

Well-known publishers with peer-reviewing system installed: Springer, Elsevier, Wiley, Nature, IEEE, ACS, etc.
Unknown publishers with vague names often publish predatory journals.
Criteria for determining predatory open-access publishers are given by Jeffrey Beall.

4. Assess the Content

Abstract and Introduction

Do they clearly state a research question and background?
Fake papers often have vague, generic statements with no clear scientific purpose.

Methods

Are methods reproducible, specific, and detailed?
If the methodology is missing, too short, or nonsensical, that’s suspicious.

Results and Figures

Real results are presented clearly with statistical evidence.
Fake/low-quality ones often have graphs that don’t match the claims, duplicated images, or data that seems “too perfect.”

References

Are citations relevant and from reputable sources?
Check if citations actually support the claims.
Fake papers often cite other questionable papers, self-citations, or irrelevant references.

Originality

Has the same or similar material already been presented in another publication ?
Redundant papers are often created by paper mills with the aid of AI.

5. Look for Transparency

Are raw data or supplementary materials available?
Do the authors respond to post-publication questions? In one study, only 45% of suspicious authors replied, compared to 96% of legitimate ones.

6. Watch for Language Red Flags

Are there “tortured phrases”—awkward or overly complex wording that may indicate AI-generated text?
Is the writing style inconsistent or generic?

7. Tools That Can Help

AI assistants (ChatGPT) - find surface anomalies, summarize, and spot red flags
Clarivate Master Journal List - includes only journals that demonstrate high level of editorial rigor
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) - lists ethical publishers and offers guidelines
Criteria for Determining Predatory Open-Access Publishers
DOAJ Journal Search - is a unique and extensive index of diverse open access journals
Google Scholar - check if authors have a track record in the field
Journal Evaluation Tool - scoring the quality of journals
OpenAlex or CrossRef - verify DOI registration
ORCID - validate researcher IDs and institutional links
ORI Image Tools - detects duplicated/manipulated figures
Plagiarsim ckeckers (Turnitin, iThenticate) checking for text overlap
Predatory Journals List
Predatory Publishers List
Problematic Paper Screener
PubPeer – platform for post-publication peer review.
Retraction Watch – see if a paper or author has retractions.
Retraction Watch Hijacked Journals Checker - see if a journal was hijacked by a fraudulent publisher
reviewer zero ai - provides tools helping to identify and address potential issues early
SciLit/Dimensions - checking indexing and citations.
Similarity Texter - a text comparison tool
statcheck - check a PDF, DOCX or HTML file for errors in statistical reporting
Text Compare - another on-line text compare tool
Think - Check -Submit - find a trusted journal
xFakeSci - is analyzing linguistic patterns in scientific papers

8. Suggested Workflow

Check journal → Indexed in Scopus/Web of Science/DOAJ ? Not on predatory list ?
Verify paper → DOI exists in CrossRef/OpenAlex? Retraction Watch ?
Scan Text → Use plagiarism + AI detection + tortured phrase spotting.
Inspect figures → Run ORI/Proofig/ImageTwin checks
Verify authors → ORCID + institutional presence
Final judgment → If multiple red flags appear → suspicious

While fraudulent science papers are often generated with the help of AI, AI can also help to identify such papers, but it’s not foolproof. Right now, it’s best used as a supporting tool rather than a final authority. AI can flag anomalies, but expert judgment is still required to decide if the work is fraudulent, sloppy, or just unusual.

Within EVISA News we only discuss reputable studies. We also try our best to avoid the listing of suspicious journals within the EVISA Journal database. Yet, sometimes fraudulent papers are even published by well accepted journals (see for example here). Such cases are often discussed by RetractionWatch. In case that a study highlighted within EVISA News gets retracted, we will report about it (see EVISA News revisited).

Michael Sperling