Quarterly rate of fabricated references per 10 000 papers in PubMed Central from January, 2023, to February, 2026 (IMAGE)

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Quarterly rate of fabricated references per 10 000 papers in PubMed Central from January, 2023, to February, 2026

Caption

The image above demonstrates the monthly rate of fake citations per 10,000 papers in PubMed Central, January 2023 to February 2026. The fabrication rate remained stable at approximately 4 citations per 10,000 papers throughout 2023. Beginning in mid-2024, the rate rose sharply, reaching approximately 57 per 10,000 by early 2026. Each data point represents one calendar month. The open symbol indicates the final data point (January 1 to February 18, 2026), which represents an incomplete observation period. 

Credit

Topaz et al., 2026, The Lancet

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