A Novel Malignancy in the Academic Corpus: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Prognosis of AI Slop

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of a rapidly metasta- sizing pathology afflicting the global academic corpus. The condition, which we term Parasitic Publication Syndrome (PPS), is characterized by the proliferation of entities that mimic the surface morphology of legitimate scholarly organs while lacking any functional peer review mechanism, editorial integrity, or diagnostic value. Using a mixed-methods approach combining case study analysis, correspondence forensics, and institutional ge- nealogy, we trace the complete lifecycle of PPS from initial contact through terminal cred- ibility failure. The index case involves a journal identifying itself as the Journal of Clinical Oncology & Advanced Therapy soliciting manuscripts from a researcher whose published work concerns AI safety, corporate harm analysis, disability rights, and psychoanalytic theory. The solicitation addressed the author as “Dr. Travis Gilly,” a title the author does not hold, praised the author’s “esteemed work and expertise in the field” without identify- ing which field, and imposed an artificially compressed submission deadline. The pathol- ogy displays hallmark features of aggressive malignancy, including rapid undifferentiated growth, invasion of healthy tissue, resistance to conventional treatment, evasion of the host immune response, and a pronounced capacity for metastasis through contamination of ci- tation networks. We propose a four-grade classification system for surveillance, identify five transmission vectors, document seven diagnostic markers, and conclude that PPS rep- resents a Stage IV threat to the integrity of scientific knowledge production. This paper is itself the manuscript the predatory journal requested.