Using the names of a fake scientist and a fake institute, Harvard University biologist John Bohannon submitted 304 versions of a bogus scientific paper fraught with fundamental errors to open-access journals.
According to a paper published in the journal Science, 157 journals, including those boasting a thorough peer-review process, accepted the paper to be published despite the glaring errors pointing to poor scientific quality.
The findings, wrote Bohannon, point to a lack of quality control by many open-access journals-which often rely on author publication fees for revenue.
Most of the journals that accepted the bogus article were based in developing countries. Twenty-nine were based in the U.S.
