Fraudulent citations, blamed on AI hallucinations, are becoming more common in research papers Frequency of false references increased sixfold from 2023 to 2025

https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/07/lancet-study-finds-steep-rise-fraudulent-citations-academic-papers/ By Anil OzaMay 7, 2026 General Assignment Reporter Citations in academic papers are intended to ground research in the work that preceded it, over time creating something of a family tree explaining the roots of ideas, protocols, and studies.