Forensic Scientometrics · Vancouver 2026 · Science Policy
Science Is Under Attack — And a New Forensic Field Is Fighting Back
The landmark first report of the Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci) movement exposes how paper mills, data manipulation, citation cartels, and AI-powered fraud are corroding global research — and maps a forensic path forward.
Understanding, Detecting & Documenting
Manipulation in the Research Ecosystem
▲ The inaugural FoSci Report was launched on 6 May 2026 at the 9th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI), Vancouver, Canada. | Credit: Digital Science
In a world where scientific research underpins everything from drug approvals to climate policy, a new and sobering question is emerging: Can we still trust what gets published? On 6 May 2026, at the 9th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) in Vancouver, Canada, the Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci) movement delivered a resounding — and troubling — answer with the release of its inaugural landmark report.
Titled FoSci Report 2026: Understanding, Detecting, and Documenting Manipulation in the Research Ecosystem, this first-of-its-kind document brings together 17 international experts from academia, publishing, and independent research investigation to chart both the scope of scientific fraud and the forensic tools available to fight it. For forensic science students, researchers, and anyone invested in the credibility of knowledge itself, this report is essential reading.
Experts from academia, publishing & independent investigation
Just two years old — already producing globally significant work
World's foremost research integrity forum, Vancouver, 3–6 May 2026
What Is Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci)?
Forensic Scientometrics — or FoSci — is an emerging, data-driven discipline that applies investigative and analytical methods to detect, analyze, and expose research integrity issues, with the overarching aim of rebuilding and preserving trust in science. Think of it as forensic science applied not to a crime scene, but to the global scientific literature itself.
The movement was formally established just two years ago, catalysed by the 2024 FoSci Paris Declaration — a milestone document that called for data-driven forensic approaches to combat fake science. Since then, FoSci has rapidly grown into an international community of committed individuals from research and publishing backgrounds.
Since the FoSci Paris Declaration was signed in 2024, this report is the first time we have brought our collective knowledge together in one place. It is a map of where we are, what we know, and what still needs to be built. The integrity of science depends on our willingness to act on that knowledge, not merely document it.
— Dr Leslie McIntosh, VP of Research Integrity & Security, Digital Science & FoSci co-founderThe Stage: 9th World Conference on Research Integrity, Vancouver
The FoSci Report made its global debut at one of the most prestigious gatherings in research governance. The 9th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) ran from 3–6 May 2026 at The Westin Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia — held on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Open to all disciplines, career stages, and stakeholders — from universities and publishers to governments and funders — WCRI is where influential policy statements are born. Past editions produced the Singapore Statement, the Hong Kong Principles, and the Cape Town Statement. The Vancouver 2026 conference added three critical focal themes: Artificial Intelligence, Research Security, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
It was within this globally influential forum that Dr Leslie McIntosh launched the FoSci Report as part of her keynote presentation — positioning forensic scientometrics squarely on the world research policy agenda.
Inside the Report: A Three-Level Forensic Framework
One of the most powerful contributions of the FoSci Report is its analytical architecture. The report is structured across three distinct levels of analysis, allowing investigators and policymakers to understand both the granular tactics of individual fraudsters and the sweeping systemic failures that enable them.
Individual papers and anomalies — the forensic clues hidden in single publications
Coordinated and organized misconduct — criminal networks, paper mills, review cartels
Systemic and structural failures — government interference, open science exploitation, legal threats
This layered framework is significant because it recognizes that what may appear to be an isolated fraudulent paper is often a symptom of a far deeper, more coordinated problem. As the report argues, the self-correcting mechanisms of science — peer review, replication, retraction — are simply no longer keeping pace with the speed and sophistication of research manipulation.
The Threats: What FoSci Has Catalogued
The breadth of misconduct documented in the FoSci Report is staggering. Here is the full taxonomy of threats that forensic investigators now face:
- Paper Mills — Factories of fake or low-quality research sold to real authors
- Tortured Phrases — AI-garbled terminology exposing plagiarism (e.g., "bosom peril" for breast cancer)
- Data & Image Manipulation — Fabricated or duplicated research visuals
- Authorship Fraud — Ghost-writing and paid authorship schemes
- Review Mills — Fake peer review rings that rubber-stamp fraudulent papers
- Citation Cartels — Coordinated mutual citation to inflate impact metrics
- Hijacked Journals — Legitimate journal identities stolen and exploited
- Open Science Exploitation — Misuse of preprint servers and open-access channels
- Government Interference — State-level manipulation of research outputs
- Legal Threats against Sleuths — Intimidation of independent investigators
- AI-Enabled Misconduct — Generative AI accelerating fraud at unprecedented scale
- Provenance Attacks — Undermining content authenticity and origin tracing
Of particular relevance to forensic students: tortured phrases are among the most detectable forensic markers. These are bizarre, garbled scientific terms that emerge when paper-mill operators run text through AI paraphrasers to evade plagiarism detectors — producing phrases like "profound neural organization" instead of "deep neural network," or "counterfeit consciousness" instead of "artificial intelligence." A study cited in the field found nearly 8,000 such phrases in the published literature, including in reputable journals.
The AI Wild Card: Accelerant of Fraud
Perhaps the most urgent finding of the FoSci Report is the role of artificial intelligence. AI was once hailed as the cure for research fraud — capable of detecting image duplication, statistical anomalies, and textual plagiarism at scale. But the same technology is now the primary weapon of those committing fraud.
Generative AI tools can produce plausible-looking research papers, fabricate datasets, generate realistic scientific images, and paraphrase existing work to defeat detection algorithms — all at a speed that no human review system can match. Paper mills have adapted. Citation cartels coordinate digitally. AI is accelerating all of it. The FoSci Report treats this dual-use nature of AI as one of the most critical unsolved problems in research governance today.
Paper mills adapt. Citation cartels coordinate. Journals are hijacked. AI is accelerating all of it. Our ambition with this report is to give everyone working on these problems — publishers, institutions, funders, policymakers — a shared foundation from which to respond.
— Dr Leslie McIntoshThe Minds Behind the Report: Three World-Class Editors
"The detailed insights we've compiled here expose not just individual bad actors but entire systems that have evolved to game scientific publishing for profit or power."
"What this report shows is that the problems are real, and they are measurable. In many cases the tools to address them already exist. However, the problem is bigger, more coordinated, and more consequential than most people realise."
"Anomalies affecting the scientific literature are multifaceted and growing in number, as are innovative ways of breaching research integrity. Each FoSci meeting has uncovered new flavours ranging from questionable to fraudulent practices."
Why This Matters: A Forensic Science Perspective
For students and practitioners at the intersection of forensic science and research, the FoSci Report opens a fascinating — and professionally relevant — frontier. Forensic scientometrics borrows the methodological rigour of forensic investigation and applies it to the scholarly record. The "sleuthing" skills of pattern recognition, anomaly detection, chain-of-evidence documentation, and expert testimony are directly transferable.
The report's COSIG guidelines (available at cosig.net) further operationalize these principles — providing a framework that aspiring forensic scientometrists can study and apply.
Beyond career interest, consider the stakes: fabricated medical research can lead to harmful clinical decisions. Manipulated environmental data can distort policy. Fraudulent engineering studies can undermine safety standards. When science is polluted at scale, real people are harmed. The work of FoSci is, in that sense, deeply forensic — reconstructing truth from a landscape of manufactured evidence.
Access the complete report — free and open access — on Figshare. Essential reading for every forensic science student and research integrity professional.
Read Full Report → WCRI 2026 WebsiteThe Verdict: Science Needs Its Own CSI
The launch of the FoSci Report at the 9th WCRI in Vancouver is more than an academic milestone. It is a declaration that the scientific community is no longer willing to allow manipulation to outpace investigation. The report charts where we are, catalogues what we know, and — crucially — maps what still needs to be built.
As Prof. Bishop noted, the tools to address many of these problems already exist. What is needed now is coordination, shared frameworks, and — above all — institutional will. The FoSci movement exists to supply the forensic intelligence. The rest is up to universities, publishers, governments, and funders.
For aspiring forensic experts, this is your field expanding into new territory. The manipulation of the scientific record is a crime scene — and it demands investigators trained to read it.
📚 Sources & Further Reading
- EurekAlert! / Digital Science (6 May 2026): Research manipulation mapped in new Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci) report — eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127110
- Digital Science Press Release (2026): Research manipulation mapped in new Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci) report — digital-science.com
- Research Information (2026): Research manipulation mapped in new Forensic Scientometrics report — researchinformation.info
- Publishing Perspectives (8 May 2026): FoSci Releases Report Analyzing Growing Threats to Research Integrity — publishingperspectives.com
- Newswise (2026): Research Manipulation Mapped in New Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci) Report — newswise.com
- FoSci Full Report (DOI): FoSci Report 2026: Understanding, Detecting, and Documenting Manipulation in the Research Ecosystem — doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.32178456
- 9th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) — wcri2026.org
- FoSci Substack / Leslie McIntosh (2025): A Reflection on 2024 — fosci.substack.com
- COSIG Guidelines — cosig.net
- Editage Insights: Paper mills and the erosion of research credibility — editage.com
