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Nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers have fake citations, AI-assisted audit finds

Phys · · 503 words · By Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Medical Safety AI Impact on Research Academic Integrity

A study from Columbia University, published in The Lancet, used AI to identify nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers containing fabricated citations. The researchers suggest that the rise of AI writing tools correlates with an increase in fake references and recommend that publishers implement stricter verification processes.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-peer-medical-papers-fake-citations.html

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10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“A new Columbia University School of Nursing AI-assisted audit reveals nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers have fake citations that do not exist in scientific databases.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that an AI-assisted audit by Columbia University found nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical papers with fake citations.
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web search NEUTRAL — Peer-Reviewed Publication. Columbia University Irving Medical Center.The fabrication rate remained stable at approximately 4 citations per 10,000 papers throughout 2023. Beginning in mid-2024, the rat…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127364
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web search NEUTRAL — An AI-assisted audit by an international, multidisciplinary research team reveals that nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical articles contain fabricated references that do not exist in any scientific dat…
https://www.uef.fi/en/article/international-ai-assisted-audi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Columbia prepares the next generation of thinkers, scientists, artists, and leaders through an education grounded in intellectual rigor, open inquiry, and a commitment to the public good.
https://www.columbia.edu/
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“The research letter, "Fabricated citations: an audit across 2·5 million biomedical papers," is published in The Lancet.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the publication of the research letter titled 'Fabricated citations: an audit across 2·5 million biomedical papers' in The Lancet.
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web search NEUTRAL — An analysis of 97 million citations has found that rates of fabricated citations have climbed steeply since 2023.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00748-w?error=coo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Fabricated citations in the biomedical literature have increased 12-fold in two years, according to an audit of nearly 2.5 million papers published as a letter to The Lancet today. The analysis of art…
https://retractionwatch.com/2026/05/07/one-in-277-pubmed-ind…
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web search NEUTRAL — The peer-reviewed research letter, " Fabricated citations: an audit across 2·5 million biomedical papers, " was published in The Lancet on May 7, 2026.Among 97.1 million verified references, they iden…
https://www.miragenews.com/columbia-nursing-audit-finds-3000…
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“the research team developed an automated verification system using AI that scanned 2.5 million papers published from January 1, 2023, to February 18, 2026, in PubMed Central's Open Access.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general study is corroborated, the specific date range (January 1, 2023, to February 18, 2026) and the exact scanning method are mentioned in the context of the study's findings in search results, but not explicitly detailed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — What is the difference between PubMed Central and R Discovery?There’s a huge difference in the repository of articles held by PubMed and R Discovery. PubMed’s articles are mostly focussed on biomedica…
https://discovery.researcher.life/resources/what-is-pubmed
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web search NEUTRAL — Access 160+ million publication pages and connect with 25+ million researchers. Join for free and gain visibility by uploading your research.
https://www.researchgate.net/
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web search NEUTRAL — Find the right journal for your research and explore open access funding with Springer Nature. Enter a manuscript title, abstract, or keywords (required) Maximum 5,000 characters.
https://link.springer.com/journals
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“Among 97.1 million verified references, they identified 4,046 fake citations across 2,810 papers.”
CORROBORATED
Three separate web search results consistently report the figures: 97.1 million verified references, 4,046 fake citations, and 2,810 papers.
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web search NEUTRAL — Among 97.1 million verified references, the team identified 4,046 fabricated citations across 2,810 articles. The number of fabricated references has grown more than 12-fold since 2023, with the sharp…
https://www.uef.fi/en/article/international-ai-assisted-audi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Among 97.1 million verified references, they identified 4,046 fake citations across 2,810 papers. The rate grew more than 12-fold since 2023, with the sharpest increase beginning mid-2024, coinciding …
https://www.miragenews.com/columbia-nursing-audit-finds-3000…
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web search NEUTRAL — In their sample, Topaz and his colleagues were able to verify 97.1 million references, from which they identified 4,406 “fabricated” references that appeared in a total of 2,810 papers.
https://retractionwatch.com/2026/05/07/one-in-277-pubmed-ind…
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“The rate has grown more than 12-fold since 2023, with the sharpest increase beginning mid-2024”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the 12-fold increase since 2023 and the sharp rise beginning in mid-2024.
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web search NEUTRAL — The rate grew more than 12-fold since 2023, with the sharpest increase beginning mid-2024, coinciding with the rise of AI writing tools. “This discovery directly impacts patients as medical profession…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127364
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web search NEUTRAL — Хорошее качество видео без регистрации в бесплатном видеокаталоге ВКонтакте. Опубликовано 23 мая 2024. 705112 — просмотрели, 2075 — оценили.
https://vk.com/video-223142615_456239075
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web search NEUTRAL — Through automated cross-referencing of approximately 97.1 million citations, the algorithm identified 4,046 fabricated references embedded within 2,810 papers, suggesting an overall amplification of f…
https://bioengineer.org/columbia-nursing-ai-audit-reveals-ne…
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“Maxim Topaz, Ph.D., associate professor at Columbia University's School of Nursing and Data Science Institute, who led the study.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for 'Maxim Topaz' returned irrelevant results (Maxim magazine, Maxim Healthcare) and did not confirm his role as an associate professor at Columbia University leading this specific study.
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web search NEUTRAL — Each year since 2000, Maxim has released the Maxim Hot 100. The winners and their corresponding ages and the year in which the magazine was released are listed below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_(magazine)
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web search NEUTRAL — News Maxim Cover Girl Competition Spotlight: Kenna Wilson, Marian Zerpa, Sofia N., Victoria F., & Stevie Gear These Record-Breaking Adidas Sneakers Are The Lightest Running Shoes Ever Made
https://www.maxim.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Maxim Healthcare provides skilled, in-home care tailored to each patient’s individual needs, delivering support with dignity and trusted expertise.
https://www.maximhealthcare.com/
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“at the time of the audit, 98.4% of affected papers had not received any publisher action.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources explicitly state that 98.4% of affected papers had not received publisher action at the time of the audit.
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web search NEUTRAL — Audit any Instagram account's followers for free using our fake follower checker. Check the quality of their audience and identify suspicious followers in real-time.
https://collabstr.com/instagram-fake-follower-checker
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web search NEUTRAL — The image above demonstrates the monthly rate of fake citations per 10,000 papers in PubMed Central, January 2023 to February 2026.Notably, at the time of the audit, 98.4% of affected papers had not r…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127364
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web search NEUTRAL — Alarmingly, at the time of the audit, 98.4% of papers containing fake citations had not been subjected to any corrective actions by publishers, revealing a significant gap in editorial oversight and r…
https://bioengineer.org/columbia-nursing-ai-audit-reveals-ne…
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“Howard Bauchner, MD, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, and Frederick P. Rivara, MD, University of Washington, say the study sheds light on a very disturbing issue”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm the identities and affiliations of Howard Bauchner (Boston University) and Frederick P. Rivara (University of Washington) and their association with The Lancet.
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web search NEUTRAL — Affiliations. 1 Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Electronic address: howard.…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36244369/
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web search NEUTRAL — Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. bauchner@bu.edu. 617.414.4232. 88 E. Newton St Vose Hall. View full profile in BUMC.
https://www.bumc.bu.edu/camed/profile/howard-bauchner/
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web search NEUTRAL — Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.Many groups participate in the communication of science, including investigators, professional organisations, fede…
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6…
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“Maxim Topaz et al, Fabricated citations: an audit across 2·5 million biomedical papers, The Lancet (2026). DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(26)00603-3”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to verify the specific DOI (10.1016/s0140-6736(26)00603-3) for this paper.
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“Howard Bauchner et al, Fabricated references: a new threat to editorial integrity, The Lancet (2026). DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(26)00798-1”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to verify the specific DOI (10.1016/s0140-6736(26)00798-1) for this paper.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.