Academic fraud has existed as long as academia has existed. The specific problem of peer review fraud certainly seems to be growing, but it's also possible that

Academic fraud has existed as long as academia has existed. The specific problem of peer review fraud certainly seems to be growing, but it's also possible that we're just becoming more aware of it. Though sites like retractionwatch.com are not fantastic sources of news, it's good that they exist since they do publicize the kind of news that tends to embarrass academic publishers. In the world of profit and prestige, the "publish or perish" rule tends to make matters worse in numerous ways. Pressuring people to get published in prestigious journals, along with all of the associated profit motives and rewards, makes the entire system fragile and a vulnerable target for abuse. The entire situation reminds me of the infamous American bank robber, Willie Sutton, who supposedly said that he robbed banks because that's where the money is [1,2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton%27s_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton%27s_law [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Sutton#Urban_legend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Sutton#Urban_legend