Response to recent investigation into predatory journals and fake science
London, 23 July 2018
Springer Nature welcomes the recent investigation undertaken by journalists from NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung about the publication of scientific results in pseudo-journals. As one of the largest publishers of academic research, Springer Nature appreciates the resulting spotlight that is being shone on these undesirable developments and emphasizes the importance of a serious and reliable peer-review process. It is not only "fake news" but also "fake science" that we have to address. That 5,000 scientists in Germany and 400,000 worldwide have been affected by the cynical activity of rogue publishers presents a real risk to the scientific record and to science itself.
Springer Nature, with its almost 3,000 journals, is committed to ensuring the integrity and soundness of the scientific record. We ensure all manuscripts undergo rigorous assessment, and have a network of around 90,000 editors and 700,000 peer reviewers from all research disciplines to check content for scientific quality and soundness before publishing.
Our responsibility is to ensure that the research we publish stands up to scrutiny – this is essential for the scientific community to counteract any mistrust of science and experts. We want to work collaboratively with the research community to achieve this.
