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Weekend reads: ‘Don’t hate the replicator, hate the game’; Crossref finds 150K incorrect citation links in database; Announcing our Ctrl

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If your week flew by — we know ours did — catch up here with what you might have missed. The week at Retraction Watch featured: - Stolen economics study retracted following Retraction Watch coverage - Former Mount Sinai postdoc falsified images in grant updates, ORI says - Controversial editorial practices boost plastic surgeon’s publishing empire - Embattled journal brand mistakenly invites out-o...
The strongest version of this narrative underscores the growing crisis of trust in scientific publishing, driven by retractions, fraud, and systemic pressures. Retraction Watch’s role as a watchdog is critical, exposing misconduct while also incentivizing corrections through awards. The sheer scale of retractions—63,000 and counting—suggests not just isolated incidents but a structural problem. The rise of AI-generated fake citations and predatory publishing models further erodes confidence, whi...