Another possibility would be to prop-up a fake journal/conference cycle, which is used by some interest groups to publish and thus "validate" dishonest research

Another possibility would be to prop-up a fake journal/conference cycle, which is used by some interest groups to publish and thus "validate" dishonest research which then goes toward their own business/political interests. Think "money laundering", but for scholarly credentials. There is a very interesting DEFCON talk[1] called "Inside the fake science factory" about this. [1] https://youtu.be/ras_VYgA77Q https://youtu.be/ras_VYgA77Q