Springer Nature Publishes Machine Learning Textbook with Fabricated Citations

A machine learning textbook published by Springer Nature in April 2025 has been found to contain numerous citations that appear to be entirely made up. According to an investigation by Retraction Watch, two-thirds of the 18 citations they checked from the 46 total references in "Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Advanced" by Govindakumar Madhavan either did not exist or contained substantial errors. Three researchers cited in the book confirmed that works attributed to them were fake or the citations contained significant inaccuracies.

Nonexistent and error-prone citations are hallmarks of text generated by large language models like ChatGPT, which don't search literature databases for published papers but instead generate content based on training data and prompts. When asked if he used an LLM to generate text for the book, the author did not directly answer but requested "a week or two" to fully respond to the inquiry. Springer Nature's policies require authors to declare any AI use beyond basic copy editing, yet the 257-page book, priced at $169, contained no such declaration despite discussing ethical questions about AI-generated text in its own content. The publisher's editorial process supposedly includes initial assessment by an in-house editor and review by subject matter experts to ensure manuscripts meet "the highest integrity and ethics standards."

On July 16, 2025, Springer Nature announced it would retract the book following the Retraction Watch coverage and subsequent investigation. Felicitas Behrendt, senior communications manager for books at the publisher, confirmed they were "aware of the text and are currently looking into it." The scandal highlights the challenges of maintaining research integrity in the AI era and raises questions about publishers' quality control processes. Similar cases of LLM-generated fake citations have been identified in other high-profile documents, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" report and a CDC presentation on the vaccine preservative thimerosal.

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1.

Springer Nature book on machine learning is full of made-up citations

Would you pay $169 for an introductory ebook on machine learning with citations that appear to be made up? If not, you might want to pass on purchasing Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Ad…

Retraction WatchRita Aksenfeld

2.

Springer machine learning book faces fake citation scandal | Digital Watch Observatory

Dozens of references in a machine learning text appear to be fake or incorrect.

Digital Watch Observatoryharrisorlagmail.com

3.

Springer Nature retracts Machine Learning book after citations ‘reference works that don’t exist’

Springer Nature has retracted a book, Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Advanced by Govindakumar Madhavan, originally published in April 2025, after it discovered several of the written citations were unverifiable. The Bookseller understands a number of the citations referenced works that do not exist.

The BooksellerLauren Brown