The preprint linked below was recently shared on arXiv.

Title

Google Scholar is Manipulatable

Authors

Hazem Ibrahim
New York University Abu Dhabi
New York University 

Fengyuan Liu
New York University Abu Dhabi
New York University 

Yasir Zaki
New York University Abu Dhabi

Talal Rahwan
New York University Abu Dhabi

Source

via arXiv
DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2402.04607

Abstract

Citations are widely considered in scientists’ evaluation. As such, scientists may be incentivized to inflate their citation counts. While previous literature has examined self-citations and citation cartels, it remains unclear whether scientists can purchase citations. Here, we compile a dataset of ~1.6 million profiles on Google Scholar to examine instances of citation fraud on the platform. We survey faculty at highly-ranked universities, and confirm that Google Scholar is widely used when evaluating scientists. Intrigued by a citation-boosting service that we unravelled during our investigation, we contacted the service while undercover as a fictional author, and managed to purchase 50 citations. These findings provide conclusive evidence that citations can be bought in bulk, and highlight the need to look beyond citation counts.

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