In 2023, over 13 000 articles were retracted, which was a record in the history of academic publishing. In 2025, researchers recorded more then 32 700 suspicious publications related to so-called “paper mills”. According to scientists from Northwestern University, the growth rate of fake publications is twice as rate at which publishers take corrective action.
It’s not abstract statistics. This is the environment, in which you are currently publishing or plan to publish.
And this raises the issue: who stands by your side when you submit your manuscript?
What are the paper mills and how do they work?
“Paper mill” is a business that produces scientific articles to order: from completely fabricated researchers to real, but weak works, for which authorship is sold.
Typical scheme:
- The researcher (or postgrad student under pressure “publish or perish”) pays for the ready-made article or for a place as one of the authors.
- The factory submits an article to a journal sometimes through bribed editors.
- An article is published. The author receives a “publication in Scopus”. Until retraction occurs, for various reasons. From removing the entire journal with articles to detection of fabricated data in the manuscript.
In 2024, the journal “Science” discovered that one of the Chinese paper mills – Olive Academic – offered journal editors up to $20 000 for accepting articles. Among those involved were editors from over 30 well-known publications.
Following its acquisition of Hindawi in 2021, Wiley found itself faced with the situation where thousands of articles in 250 journals were the products of paper mills. Wiley announced the suspension of 19 journals and withdrew more then 11 300 articles in May 2024.
This is not a marginal issue. According to estimates by researchers in the field of oncology, the number of suspicious publications amounts to 14,4% of all articles published in 2024.
Ghostwriting: why is this bad for you?
In an academic context, ghostwriting is when someone else writes an article under your name. Not the editor, not a proofreader but the author.
It seems convenient. In fact, this poses a direct threat to your academic reputation for several reasons:
Responsibility remains yours. All leading publishers – Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis – make it absolutely clear that the author is fully responsible for the content of the manuscript. If fabricated data or plagiarism is found in an article, it doesn’t matter who “wrote” it.
Retraction is forever. A withdrawn article remains in databases marked as “Retracted”. It is connected to your ORCID, your name and your institution. It is an academic stain that never disappears.
Publishers increase their checks. In 2025-2026, Elsevier extended its Check Integrity tool to nearly 2000 of its journals, which detects potential ethical violations before publication. AI tools for identifying paper mills become the industry standard. The chances of “getting away with it” decrease every month.
Authorship is not a formality. According to the COPE and CRediT criteria, an author must make a real contribution to the concept, design or interpretation of the work, take part in writing or critical review, approve the final version and be held responsible for all aspects of the work. Buying authorship doesn’t match any of these criteria.
Violation of the law in Ukraine. Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has had a law on academic integrity in force, with a specific section on the alienation of authorship. This refers to a situation where a ready work (article, dissertation, qualification work) is bought and submitted under their own name, or where a “place on the list of authors” is bought, even though there was no real participation in research. You can find out more here
Signs that you are being offered a risky service
The marketplace is flooded with “quick solutions”. Here are a few specific signs that you are dealing with a risky or unethical offer:
01
“We guarantee publication in Scopus for 2-3 months” – no legal agent can guarantee the decision of an independent editorial office, and no editorial office publishes work as quickly as that.
02
“A ready-made article on your topic” – this is ghostwriting or a paper mill.
03
“We’ll add you to the authors of an accepted article” – this is the buying of authorship, a direct violation of publishing ethics.
04
“Special issue with guaranteed acceptance” – it was through special issues that the most high-profile paper mill cases occurred at Hindawi, Wiley and others.
05
No contract, anonymous contacts payment to individuals.
What is a legal submission agent and how is it different?
Submission agent is an academic partner who guides your research through the publishing process.
The agent doesn’t replace the research itself. Instead, they help you present it in the right way.
What is included in the work of a legal agent?
- analysis of the manuscript to ensure it meet the requirements of the target magazine;
- language and stylistic preparation (language editing with disclosure according to the requirements of Elsevier, Springer Nature etc.);
- selection of a journal based on topic, audience and your career goals;
- preparation of a cover letter and all required statements (AI disclosure, conflict of interest, data on funding);
- communication with the editorial office on your behalf;
- work with reviewer comments (major/minor revision).
This is a clear, legally safe service that doesn’t compromise your authorship.
E-science Space’s position
We have deliberately chosen a narrow but clear positioning.
We don’t write articles on our clients’ behalf. We don’t work with paper mills and don’t offer “places on the list of authors”. We don’t guarantee publication – because no reputable agent has the authority to do so.
We work only with real research by real authors. This means that if you have a research project, we can help you submit it to a journal in full compliance with the publication’s requirements and COPE standards. If you don’t have a research project, we’re not a right partner.
Our approach: the submission agent acts as the author’s advocate, rather than as a publisher.
Conclusion
The academic publishing environment is currently going through a rigorous clean up. Publishers are increasing their checks, AI tools are identifying article mills, and retractions are damaging reputations not only those of people who deliberately engaged in fraud, but also those who just didn’t realise who they were dealing with.
These days, it’s not just about getting published. It’s important to get published in such a way that the publication works in your favour for years to come rather than becoming a liability.
If you have any questions about how to prepare your manuscript, choose a journal or respond to reviewers’ comments, we’re here to help you with your specific situation.
Schedule a consultation
E-Science Space is a submission agent and editorial partner for authors who publish responsibly.
Call us at
+380 99 716 71 10
+380 66 044 99 34
or fill out the form and we will contact you within a business day.
