I tried to buy a scientific paper

Inside a fake science factory.

Whenever I want to understand the latest discoveries in a topic I’m reporting on, I turn to the same place: research papers. So when I first learned about “paper mills” — shadowy businesses that produce and sell fraudulent research to academics trying to meet publishing quotas — I was fascinated. Over the past few weeks I dove into the research, interviewed scientists, and spoke to a real paper mill representative to answer a troubling question: Can we actually trust the research papers we find online?