Stockholm Declaration Sets Framework to Combat Fraudulent Scientific Publishing

The Stockholm Declaration, introduced in 2025, represents a concerted effort by Swedish and international scientific communities to curb fraudulent and low-quality scientific publishing. The declaration emerged following a workshop at the Vetenskapsakademien and a conference in Stockholm attended by about twenty researchers, highlighting concerns over the proliferation of predatory journals and publications generated partly or fully by artificial intelligence (AI).

Professor Dan Larhammar of Uppsala University, a key initiator, outlined the declaration's goals: to reform scholarly publishing by shifting control back to academic institutions, emphasizing quality over quantity in evaluating researcher merit, and establishing robust systems to detect and prevent research fraud. The document advocates for collaboration among universities, academies, scientific societies, and research funders to address these challenges and calls for national and international legislation to protect research integrity.

Larhammar voiced concerns over the current model dominated by profit-driven publishers, noting the paradox where researchers often pay to access their own work, ultimately burdening libraries and undermining public trust in science. Wilhelm Widmark, a librarian at Stockholm University, highlighted that the declaration's success depends on international uptake and collaborative action across stakeholders.

Additionally, Bernhard Sabel from Otto-von-Guericke-University contributed to the declaration addressing the threats posed by AI-generated fake studies. The Stockholm Declaration identifies four key action areas: improving control over scientific publishing, reforming academic merit systems, implementing fraud prevention mechanisms, and enacting supportive legislation. The initiative aims to ensure research funding is used more effectively while diminishing dependence on costly commercial journals, thereby restoring credibility and integrity in scientific research. This marks a crucial step in global efforts to safeguard trusted science against emerging fraudulent practices.