Putting Integrity at the Heart of Springer Nature

It’s becoming increasingly common to stumble upon news stories reporting on bad science – papermills, manipulative scientists, flawed data.  However, these narratives only give us a narrow insight into the world of research, focusing on individual stories. They are just a tiny fraction of the robust published research that’s changing the world, reflecting the actions of a very small minority in a vast community of committed researchers.  Yet efforts to subvert the publication process do to persist and evolve, and we are committed to preventing them

Why Integrity Matters

Addressing the world’s most urgent challenges—from global health to food security—requires research that is trustworthy and ethically conducted.  Research integrity means using honest and verifiable methods in proposing, performing, and evaluating research, and reporting results in line with established guidelines. It is grounded in professional norms and codes developed by the research community itself, ensuring that findings can be trusted and built upon. 

Trust is the foundation of this process, and it is the most important commodity we have. That is why Springer Nature is committed to remaining the trusted home for ethically undertaken and reported research. By protecting the integrity of the scholarly record, we safeguard not only research itself but also public confidence in science, so that research can inform policy, guide responsible innovation, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We approach this responsibility with a focus on continuous assessment and improvement, and are grateful to those across the research ecosystem whose invaluable support reflects a shared commitment to this stewardship. 

We believe in transparency and accountability.  In 2024, we received over 2.3million submissions and published over 482,000 articles (translating to an acceptance rate of 21%), reflecting the scrutiny we – and our editors – apply through our editorial and publishing processes.  

And we retracted 2,923 publications — these retractions representing just 0.6% of our 2024 published content (but covering publications from multiple years). We’re proud to be the first publisher to publicly release our retraction data, reinforcing our commitment to accountability.   

A Shared Responsibility Across Springer Nature 

This is why we have embedded integrity throughout our organisation. From editorial and production to technology and legal teams, we’ve woven integrity into every workflow, and into the support we provide our global network of 180,000 editors, all working together to uphold rigorous standards. 

Our teams conduct technical checks to ensure submissions meet high standards. Our technology teams develop tools to screen content at scale. And our Research Integrity Group (SN RIG)—a dedicated team of over 55 experts—leads integrity tool and pattern development, investigations, training, audit, and policy development to safeguard the quality of our publications. The teams produce important results.  As an example, our Prevention team has identified over 83,000 paper mill papers in the last two years alone, using a combination of integrity tools and pattern detection initiatives. 

Investing in Integrity 

We’ve tripled our investment in research integrity over three years, and our commitment to investing in this important area won’t change. Since 2021, we’ve invested over €650 million in technology, including €177 million in 2024 alone. A significant proportion of this funding supports the development of AI-powered tools, submission screening systems, and training platforms that help us detect and prevent fraudulent content.  We continue to develop our AI-powered tools to help detect manipulated text, images, and references. Designed with human oversight, these tools uphold research integrity while streamlining editorial workflows. We use AI and other technology to verify author and reviewer identities, detect image manipulation, and flag citation issues—ensuring that only high-quality, credible research is published. 

Training and Empowerment 

Integrity is not just about technology, it’s about people. We offer a comprehensive training platform with over 20 courses, and many additional resources, supporting more than 31,000 registered editors and other key users. Topics range from peer review fundamentals to plagiarism and citation manipulation, as well as many other topics. We also train our internal staff in these key topics, and in 2024 alone our internal staff completed over 1,300 courses. 

We also work to reach the wider research community through specific, freely accessible, training, most notably through Nature Masterclasses and recent initiatives in India.  We have developed a free, self-paced Nature Masterclasses course on publication ethics, delivering around 8 hours of learning through modular components and, over the past three years, have promoted research integrity in India through nationwide outreach—delivering workshops, roadshows, and training across institutions to champion ethical, transparent, and inclusive research practices. 

Additionally, we provide targeted support for editors in vulnerable disciplines, equipping them with the skills to identify and respond to integrity concerns and auditing to find areas where improvements can be made.  

Collaboration  

Ensuring research integrity is a community-wide challenge and addressing it requires collective action and shared solutions. That’s why we collaborate with organizations such as COPE, DORA, ORCID, and STM. We also work closely with national bodies like UKCORI and ISTIC and contribute to global initiatives, including United2Act, to combat paper mills and misinformation. 

Notable examples of our work include chairing the governance board of the STM Integrity Hub, actively participating in its working groups and sharing one of our AI tools to support the development of shared technology and intelligence.  

The “sleuth” community—independent researchers who identify indicators of problematic content—plays an important role in spotting trends. We value their contributions and collaborate with them on investigations. 

Looking Ahead 

Ensuring integrity is a long-term commitment. As the research landscape evolves, so do the threats to integrity. At Springer Nature, we remain vigilant, proactive, and committed to continuous improvement. By placing integrity at the heart of our business, we protect the scientific record, support our communities, and ensure that the research we publish can be confidently built upon.  We invite institutions, funders, and all stakeholders across the research ecosystem to work together—not only to address underlying root causes of misconduct but to foster a culture of transparency and deter unethical behaviour. Through collaboration, we can create an environment where ethical research thrives and trust in science endures. 

More about our work in research integrity can be found here.