The investigation is based on an analysis of millions of research articles, including information about authors, citations, research organizations, and funders. In light of this, experts call for stronger action against the influence of these health-harming companies on academic research.
The journalists also revealed that most leading medical journals don’t have a policy banning the publishing of fossil fuel tied research.
While many studies don’t have an obvious link with fossil fuel industry interests, experts said that publishing research benefits the companies by enhancing their reputation and buying influence with researchers and health practitioners.
The team filtered for articles that were published between 2019 and 2024. Extensive manual verification was conducted on top of the algorithmic analysis.
The investigation is part of the long term data journalism “Follow the Grant” focusing on financial ties of researchers, medical professionals and opinion leaders.
Image: Pixabay.
