Multiple Companies in Nanchang Suspected of Selling Academic Papers
Recently, an investigation by the 5GH Team has revealed that several companies in Nanchang are suspected of selling academic papers. These companies attract customers on RedNote (a.k.a. Xiaohongshu), a well-known Chinese social media platform, through advertisements for "journal recommendations" or by posing as past clients sharing their experiences. Ultimately, under the guise of professional technical services such as copyright transfer services, the companies provide ghostwriting services to clients, in suspected trading of academic papers.
Through a "journal recommendation" advertisement on RedNote, the Team approached a paper mill, which was later confirmed to be operated by "南昌萨奇教育科技有限公司". After discussion, a member of the company promised to write a paper suitable for submission to Artificial Intelligence in Health (Scopus Q2) for a service fee of CNY 8,000 (approximately USD 1,192), plus an article processing charge (APC) of USD 800 collected by the journal. The member showed the team a payment QR code, and the contract provided indicated that the payee was "南昌萨奇教育科技有限公司" This allowed the team to identify the company operating the paper mill.
According to information from Aiqicha (konwn as 爱企查), "南昌萨奇教育科技有限公司" is wholly owned by "南昌市橙柚燕生物科技有限公司" with a 100% equity stake. Its legal representative is LIU Jiacheng (刘家成). Further information from Aiqicha shows that LIU Jiacheng is a shareholder in eight companies, seven of which are listed as "operating" and one as "deregistered." These eight companies include "南昌市橙柚燕生物科技有限公司". Aiqicha information shows that LIU Jiacheng holds 50% of the equity in "南昌市橙柚燕生物科技有限公司". It remains unclear whether all eight companies are involved in paper mill activities, but further investigation led the Team to believe that LIU Jiacheng is deeply involved in the operation of the paper mill.
The Team contacted Liu Jiacheng through another RedNote user. That user claimed to have previously used third-party services and successfully published a paper in a Scopus-indexed journal. The user recommended LIU Jiacheng's WeChat contact to the Team. After negotiation, LIU Jiacheng promised to write a paper suitable for submission to Microchemical Journal for CNY 55,000 (approximately USD 8,195). The contract he showed the Team indicated that the payee was likewise "南昌萨奇教育科技有限公司". This led the team to believe that "南昌萨奇教育科技有限公司" was genuinely involved in paper mill activities, rather than being impersonated.
To demonstrate the quality of their manuscripts, LIU Jiacheng showed the Team a "Microchemical Journal" submission account (Yonggang_Huang) and password (YonggangH@542). It contained the submission record for a paper titled "Electrochemical Microanalytical Platform for Rapid Screening of Inflammatory Cytokines in Inguinal Hernia Patients". LIU Jiacheng told the team that the paper was produced by them. The paper is currently accepted and awaiting publication.
Companies operating paper mills in Nanchang may not be limited to LIU Jiacheng and his affiliated enterprises. Through another "journal recommendation" advertisement on RedNote, the Team contacted a participant in another paper mill. He promised to write a paper suitable for submission to Cancer Cell International for CNY 18,000 (approximately USD 2,682). The payment QR code he showed indicated that the payee was "江西研知阁教育咨询有限公司", whose shareholders are TU Jiajun (涂佳军, 55% stake, also serving as legal representative) and XIAO Zongwen (肖宗文, 45% stake). Aiqicha information shows that TU Jiajun serves or has served as the legal representative of 37 companies. Most of these companies have been deregistered, and only "江西研知阁教育咨询有限公司" remains in "operating" status.
There is currently no reason to believe that TU Jiajun and LIU Jiacheng are connected, but the activities of multiple Nanchang companies using legitimate businesses as cover to trade academic papers are exceptionally rampant. The team also notes that Chinese social media platforms provide channels and convenience for these activities and lack the incentive to regulate them, which is also a major obstacle to resolving these long-standing problems.