Nature editorial warns of sham academic societies
In an editorial, the journal Nature argues that the research community must be more vigilant about sham scientific societies. It follows a Nature investigation, published on 25 September, into a network of academic societies.
Nature's editorial says the network grew its membership using suspect practices. It says the societies persuaded high-profile scientists to join, sometimes without telling them, which made the bodies look robust and international. The editorial names early-career researchers, including those at African universities, as typical targets. This is an opinion piece, and the separate investigation behind it is not covered here.