How much for a fake authorship? Ad database reveals secrets of scientific fraud
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The cost of authorship slots on studies produced by papermills ranges from less than $100 to more than $5000, an analysis found. Credit: Ievgen Chabanov/Alamy
Researchers have amassed a data set of thousands of advertisements selling research-paper authorships online, shedding light on the global marketplace for academic fraud.
The collection — the largest of its kind — contains more than 18,700 adverts that were posted between March 2020 and early April 2026 by seven paper mills — businesses that produce fake or low-quality research and sell authorships. Together, the companies cater to academics in the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and India.
Authorship for sale: Nature investigates how paper mills work