Reference health
Gaming the Metrics? Bibliometric Anomalies and the Integrity Crisis in Global University Rankings
35/35 checkable references clean · checked 2026-09-18
Every reference with a DOI in the deposited reference list resolved to a known work in Crossref or DataCite at the dated check, and none carried a retraction, withdrawal, or removal notice.
25 without a DOI — not checked. A reference deposited without a DOI is never matched by title or guessed at; it stays outside the checked set, and this line discloses that.
The 35 checked references that resolve
resolves10.1002/leap.1574
Publication and collaboration anomalies in academic papers originating from a paper mill: Evidence from a Russia‐based paper mill
resolves10.1038/d41586-025-00212-1
‘Stamp out paper mills’ — science sleuths on how to fight fake research
resolves10.1162/qss_a_00019
Scopus as a curated, high-quality bibliometric data source for academic research in quantitative science studies
resolves10.1126/science.334.6061.1344
Saudi Universities Offer Cash in Exchange for Academic Prestige
resolves10.1016/j.respol.2018.10.025
Academic misconduct, misrepresentation and gaming: A reassessment
resolves10.1162/qss_a_00018
Web of Science as a data source for research on scientific and scholarly activity
resolves10.1162/qss_a_00288
Examining the quality of the corresponding authorship field in Web of Science and Scopus
resolves10.1038/d41586-023-03865-y
Surge in number of ‘extremely productive’ authors concerns scientists
resolves10.1073/pnas.1212247109
Misconduct accounts for the majority of retracted scientific publications
resolves10.1016/j.ajem.2024.05.016
Evaluation of retracted articles in the field of emergency medicine on the web of science database
resolves10.1080/08841241.2014.970248
Academic sell-out: how an obsession with metrics and rankings is damaging academia
resolves10.1007/s11192-024-05165-2
Ukrainian universities in QS World University Rankings: when the means become ends
resolves10.1038/s41598-025-88709-7
Citation manipulation through citation mills and pre-print servers
resolves10.1007/s11739-023-03447-w
Quantitative research assessment: using metrics against gamed metrics
resolves10.1162/qss_a_00317
University rankings in the context of research evaluation: A state-of-the-art review
resolves10.1162/qss_a_00339
Using bibliometrics to detect questionable authorship and affiliation practices and their impact on global research metrics: A case study of 14 universities
resolves10.1007/s11192-023-04676-8
The rise of hyperprolific authors in computer science: characterization and implications
resolves10.1136/bmjebm-2021-111826
Guest authorship as research misconduct: definitions and possible solutions
resolves10.1177/10126902221107467
‘Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted’: Searching for the value of metrics and altmetrics in sociology of sport journals
resolves10.1080/13562517.2017.1301909
The manipulation of scholarly rating and measurement systems: constructing excellence in an era of academic stardom
resolves10.1371/journal.pone.0267312
And the credit goes to … - Ghost and honorary authorship among social scientists
resolves10.1186/s12874-021-01404-9
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on publication dynamics and non-COVID-19 research production
resolves10.1007/s11024-020-09419-0
Bibliometrics in Academic Recruitment: A Screening Tool Rather than a Game Changer
resolves10.1080/14767724.2021.2016375
The impact of global university rankings on universities in Thailand: don’t hate the player, hate the game
resolves10.1080/23322969.2023.2209655
From rejection to acceptance: the institutionalization of adopting university ranking outcomes as policy and strategic tools in China since the 1980s
resolves10.1007/s11948-015-9716-3
Multiple Authorship in Scientific Manuscripts: Ethical Challenges, Ghost and Guest/Gift Authorship, and the Cultural/Disciplinary Perspective
The 25 references without a DOI — listed, not checked
no DOI — not checkedThe politics of university rankings in China
no DOI — not checkedA global exploratory comparison of country selfcitations
no DOI — not checkedSelf-citations in around a dozen countries are unusually high
no DOI — not checkedref14
no DOI — not checkedThe publication race in Russian universities as an impediment to academic freedom
no DOI — not checkedOver-optimization of academic publishing metrics: Observing Goodhart's Law in action
no DOI — not checkedref21
no DOI — not checkedLinking citation and retraction data reveals the demographics of scientific retractions among highly cited authors
no DOI — not checkedThe rapid, massive growth of COVID-19 authors in the scientific literature
no DOI — not checkedref31
no DOI — not checkedDubious cross-national affiliations obscure the assessment of international research collaboration
no DOI — not checkedReciprocity and impact in academic careers
no DOI — not checkedThe inter-institutional and intrainstitutional multi-affiliation authorships in the scientific papers produced by the well-ranked universities
no DOI — not checkedPredatory journals and paper mills jeopardise knowledge management
no DOI — not checkedref38
no DOI — not checkedref43
no DOI — not checkedref45
no DOI — not checkedWeb of Science (WoS) and Scopus: the titans of bibliographic information in today's academic world
no DOI — not checkedFOCAS: Penalising friendly citations to improve author ranking
no DOI — not checkedHow are global university rankings adjusted for erroneous science, fraud and misconduct? Posterior reduction or adjustment in rankings in response to retractions and invalidation of scientific findings
no DOI — not checkedref56
no DOI — not checkedIntegrity at stake: confronting "publish or perish" in the developing world and emerging economies
no DOI — not checkedref58
no DOI — not checkedPrevalence of Research Misconduct and Questionable Research Practices: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
no DOI — not checkedFunding: None Competing interests: The author declares that he is affiliated with a university that is a peer institution to one of the universities included in the study group
What this badge says. CiteStamped means the CHECKABLE references of this
work were clean at the dated check: each resolved to a known work in a public registry, and none
carried a retraction notice at that time. It says nothing about the quality, findings,
or importance of the work itself, and nothing about references deposited without a DOI.
checked 2026-09-18 — re-checked daily as this page is visited; titles and statuses come from Crossref and DataCite and are not part of the signed record
Embed this badge
Both snippets point at the live badge image and link back to this page. The badge re-renders from the daily check, so an embed never goes stale by more than a day of visits.
<a href="https://citestamp.com/citestamped/10.2139/ssrn.5249082"><img src="https://citestamp.com/citestamped/10.2139/ssrn.5249082/badge.svg" alt="CiteStamped reference-health badge" width="460" height="64"></a>
[](https://citestamp.com/citestamped/10.2139/ssrn.5249082)