A new editorial published in JCOM addresses a growing challenge for scholarly publishing: the emergence of AI-generated “ghost references”. In Integrity under pressure: on generative AI, fabricated references and ethical publishing, JCOM editors Marina Joubert and Michelle Riedlinger warn that generative AI tools can produce convincing but entirely fabricated citations that risk slipping through peer review systems.

The editorial reaffirms JCOM’s policy requiring full disclosure of generative AI use in manuscript preparation and reminds authors that responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of submissions ultimately rests with them. The journal also reiterates its commitment to reject, withdraw or retract manuscripts containing fabricated content at any stage of the publication process.

Read the editorial in JCOM