Hundreds of Paper-Mill Papers Peddled in Ads Were Later Published

A study by social scientist Anna Abalkina of Germany’s Free University of Berlin and colleagues found that nearly half of 4,407 IEEE conference paper titles advertised by suspected paper mills between 2021 and 2025 were later published. The ads openly sold authorship positions for as little as $64, with more than 2,000 advertised papers eventually appearing in conference proceedings. IEEE has retracted 66 identified papers and is considering expanded screening software and stronger oversight of conference contractors. — Science; Jeffrey Brainard (August 12, 2026)