Wiley investigating book chapter on biodiversity for fake references
While reading a chapter from a 2024 book on restoring biodiversity in post-industrial land earlier this month, an ecologist came across a reference to a study on rewilding she wanted to look up. But the ecologist, who has asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the chapter authors, couldn’t find a record of … Continue reading Wiley investigating book chapter on biodiversity for…
An ecologist discovered discrepancies in a 2024 book chapter on restoring biodiversity in post-industrial land while searching for a cited study. The ecologist, who wished to remain anonymous, flagged the issue to Wiley on September 7 but did not receive a response. The chapter, authored by four researchers from CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research in Jharkhand, India, contained at least eight non-existent references.
Wiley's spokesperson stated that the publisher takes integrity seriously and would investigate the concerns upon conclusion of the investigation. The publisher, which owned a reference-checking service until 2023, uses various checks during the book publishing process, though they do not currently utilize Edifix. The chapter's first author, Sameer Shekhar, is investigating the issue and plans to submit a correction request to Wiley and the chapter editor. The other authors have not responded to the reporter's requests for comment.
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