Third Editor Fired in Elsevier's Citation Cartel Crackdown

6 hours ago

Elsevier has fired a third editor, John Goodell, as part of a crackdown on citation cartels.
Goodell's publication output surged from 2021-2025 due to receiving over 100 papers from previously fired editors Brian Lucey and Samuel Vigne.
The scheme involved reciprocal exchanges where authors added Goodell as a co-author on their papers in other journals in return for publishing in his journal RIBAF.
Hundreds of papers are at risk of retraction, with estimates ranging from 200 to over 350 compromised publications.
The case highlights systemic issues in academic publishing, including citation stacking and gift-authorship practices, with Elsevier accused of containing rather than fully addressing the scandal.

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