1,655 fabricated author records. Real DOIs. Backdated. Sitting on a CERN operated repository right now.

The uncomfortable part is not that they exist. It is that they pass the source check most of us hand to students: does it have a DOI, is it indexed, does the author have other work, does the author have collaborators.

All four come back green on a record no human wrote.

The five questions that still work are all about what is outside the record. Does the venue exist independently. Does the author exist off the aggregators. Does the timeline hold. Has anyone independent engaged with it. Can you get the artifact behind the claim.

One question for you, and a single sentence is a complete answer:

What is the last source you assigned that you have never personally opened the full text of?

Full piece: https://www.harvestkernel.com/fabricated-authors-real-dois-source-check/