Sebastien Thibault / Nature Magazine / Authorship for sale: Nature investigates how paper mills work

Sébastien Thibault collaborated with the Nature magazine on an investigation into the functioning of paper mills in science, which are basically organisations that facilitate academic fraud. Companies selling authorship slots thrive in a science culture that equates success with a strong publication record. Thus, fraudulent businesses that deceive publishers to obtain authorship, submission, and other publication-related services are very attractive to desperate or lazy researchers and to trick publishers.

Art Director: Claire Welsh