In a continuing effort to combat widespread research misconduct, SAGE has retracted 416 additional articles from the Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems (JIFS), bringing renewed attention to a journal that experienced a mass retraction of over 450 papers in August of last year. This latest wave of retractions reflects ongoing concerns about fraudulent publishing practices and the challenges facing academic publishing in fields rapidly influenced by artificial intelligence (AI).
Retraction Cited for Multiple Issues
The retraction notice highlights significant anomalies in the retracted articles, citing issues such as improper citations, referencing “anomalies,” and “incoherent, extraneous text and tortured phrases.” The notice also points to concerns over “unverifiable authors and reviewers,” suggesting substantial breaches in the integrity of the research and the peer-review process.
“These indicators raise concerns about the authenticity of the research and the peer review process underlying the following articles. The Publisher regrets that these were not flagged during the journal’s editorial and peer-review processes,” the retraction statement reads.
A History of Retractions and Editorial Turmoil
This is not the first time JIFS has faced a mass retraction. The journal, which covers topics in AI, fuzzy logic, and intelligent systems, previously retracted nearly 50 articles in 2021 due to “citation stacking” and references to unrelated literature. The current wave of retractions adds to the ongoing scrutiny of JIFS, which saw its editor-in-chief, Reza Langari of Texas A&M University, resign in June 2023.
Langari cited differences of opinion on how to address the journal’s integrity issues, particularly given the volume of submissions driven by the rapid growth of AI research. In 2023, the journal reportedly received over 10,000 submissions, rejecting more than 80% due to concerns over fraudulent content and potential involvement of paper mills.
Detection Tools Play a Critical Role
The retraction notice credits technological tools, including the Problematic Paper Screener’s (PPS) Feet of Clay, for identifying problematic papers. The tool, which relies on data from the Retraction Watch database (now part of Crossref), flagged articles citing previously retracted material. According to PPS creator Guillaume Cabanac, this ongoing retraction effort will further enhance the detection system as metadata providers update their databases. As of the latest report, Feet of Clay had flagged 716 questionable papers in JIFS, though not all of them have been formally retracted.
Concerns over Impact and Reputation
Clarivate, the organization responsible for journal metrics, declined to assign JIFS an impact factor in 2020 due to suspicions of “citation stacking” — a practice often used to artificially inflate a journal’s citations and impact metrics. SAGE has been aware of issues within the journal since acquiring IOS Press in 2023. A company spokesperson previously noted:
“For any new journal we take on, we use our resources to make sure we’re publishing at a high standard and in accordance with COPE [Committee on Publication Ethics]. If there are any issues with specific journals, then we’ll take corrective action as needed.”
The Broader Challenge for Academic Publishing
This latest retraction highlights the broader challenges facing academic publishers as they confront the rise of AI-generated content, paper mills, and fraudulent submissions. While journals in AI and related fields are particularly vulnerable, the issue spans disciplines, putting pressure on publishers to adopt advanced detection mechanisms, improve peer-review protocols, and enhance editorial oversight.
SAGE’s ongoing efforts to clean up the integrity of JIFS demonstrate a commitment to addressing misconduct, but they also underscore the difficulty of keeping pace with evolving threats to scholarly publishing. As publishers increase their reliance on AI tools for detection and prevention, balancing technological solutions with rigorous human oversight will be key to restoring trust in scientific literature.
For now, JIFS has resumed accepting new submissions under its revised editorial and peer-review processes, signaling a renewed effort to rebuild its reputation and ensure the publication of trustworthy, high-quality research.