New arXiv policy: 1-year ban for hallucinated references
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Thomas G. Dietterich 是 Oregon State University 的杰出荣休教授,曾任 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence 主席。他在 X(原 Twitter)上向 arXiv 的作者发文,强调该平台的行为准则规定:无论论文内容如何生成,所有作者都须对文中全部内容承担全部责任。
这被视为对学术出版中作者责任的一次提醒或澄清,尤在 AI 生成内容越来越普遍的当下显得格外重要。
该帖于 2026 年 5 月 14 日发布,浏览量超过 239,000 次,并获得数百条回复与转发。讨论凸显了围绕在研究中使用 AI 工具时应遵守的伦理标准的持续争论;Dietterich 的立场强调,技术发展不能削弱学术诚信与问责。
此事反映了学界关于 AI 在学术工作中角色及作者责任的更广泛讨论,作为对研究透明度与伦理实践的及时介入。随着 arXiv 等平台在传播前沿科研成果中地位日益突出,这一话题在研究者与公众中引发了广泛共鸣。
Thomas G. Dietterich, a distinguished professor emeritus at Oregon State University and former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) addressing arXiv authors. He emphasized that the platform's Code of Conduct requires each author to take full responsibility for all contents of a paper, regardless of how the contents were generated. This statement appears to be a reminder or clarification regarding authorship accountability in academic publishing, particularly in an era where AI-generated content is becoming more prevalent.
The post was made on May 14, 2026, and garnered significant attention with over 239,000 views, along with hundreds of replies and retweets. The conversation highlights the ongoing discussion around ethical standards in academic publishing, especially concerning the use of AI tools in research. Dietterich's message underscores the importance of maintaining integrity and accountability, even as technology evolves.
The context of this post reflects broader debates in the academic community about the role of AI in scholarly work and the responsibilities of authors. It serves as a timely intervention in discussions about transparency and ethical practices in research, particularly as platforms like arXiv become central to disseminating cutting-edge scientific findings. The engagement metrics suggest that this topic resonates widely among researchers and the public alike.
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有人认为,arXiv 对因单一引用虚构实施的一年禁令,是维护学术诚信的有力举措。 arXiv 是一项特权而非权利,对提交未经核实的内容采取惩戒,有助于提高整体质量标准。
也有人认为这一政策过于严厉、方向错误:arXiv 的提交本就未经严格审查,而同行评审本身也有选择性。单一引用错误不等同于欺诈,也不能代表整篇工作的水平。
判断为欺诈需要有欺骗意图或对真相的鲁莽无视。单一引用的虚构,尤其是可能由合著者或 AI 工具在作者不知情的情况下插入的情况,更可能是疏忽而非蓄意欺骗。
与此同时,很多人强调,不论内容如何生成,作者对其提交的材料负全部责任。未能核实参考文献的存在是根本性的失职,会损毁整篇论文的可信度。
有人认为,这项政策是有效的启发式手段,能防止大量低质量的"草稿"进入存档。若作者连基本的参考文献核对都做不到,其它部分也难以令人信服。
另有建议认为,在允许在 arXiv 发布前要求同行评审是一种折中做法,可促使以往提交过未经核实内容的作者提高严谨性。
批评者则警告,政策可能被不公平地执行,例如当合著者在他人不知情的情况下添加了虚假引用时,责任归属和 arXiv 能否正确调查个人责任都成问题。
有人担心,该政策会惩罚那些在时间压力下犯下真诚错误的研究者,而对有意欺诈的人则威慑有限,因为他们可能会更善于掩盖自己的疏忽。
也有观点认为,这是代价极小却见效的改进:通过自动化工具验证参考文献存在性并不难,能过滤掉最明显的疏忽,不会给认真的作者带来负担。
更广泛的背景是,引用准确性的问题在 AI 出现之前就已长期存在,但大型语言模型大幅增加了这类风险,因此自动化检测和更严格的政策被视为维护科研记录可信度的必要手段。
总的讨论呈现出两种鲜明对立的观点:一方面有人认为 arXiv 的政策是捍卫下滑科学标准的必需措施,另一方面有人认为这对可能是无心之失的研究者过于苛刻。普遍达成的共识是,核实参考文献是学术工作不可妥协的最低要求;但对于单一引用虚构是否应定性为欺诈还是仅为疏忽、作者责任的范围、 AI 作为工具还是拐杖的角色以及如何公平执行此类政策,仍存在显著分歧。尽管大多数人同意必须采取措施应对低质量提交,但对具体制裁的严厉程度和实施方式仍有争议。 • A one-year arXiv ban for a single hallucinated citation is seen by some as a strong positive for scientific integrity, as arXiv is a privilege, not a right, and enforcing consequences for submitting unverified content raises the bar for quality.
• Others argue the policy is excessive and misguided, noting that arXiv submissions are not rigorously checked, peer review is far more selective, and a single citation error does not indicate fraud or reflect the overall quality of the work.
• Fraud requires intent to deceive or reckless disregard, and a single hallucinated citation, especially if inserted by a co-author or AI tool without the author's knowledge, may constitute carelessness rather than fraud.
• Many emphasize that authors bear full responsibility for their submissions, regardless of how content is generated, and failing to verify that cited references exist is a fundamental failure that undermines the credibility of the entire paper.
• Some defend the policy as a reasonable heuristic against low-effort "slop" submissions, arguing that if authors cannot perform the basic task of checking references, the rest of their work cannot be trusted either.
• The requirement that future submissions be peer-reviewed before arXiv posting is viewed as a proportionate response, ensuring that authors who previously submitted unvetted work demonstrate improved rigor.
• Critics warn that the policy may be applied unevenly, such as when a co-author adds a fraudulent citation without others' knowledge, raising questions about fairness and arXiv's ability to investigate individual responsibility.
• There is concern that the policy could discourage honest researchers who make genuine mistakes, particularly under time pressure, while doing little to deter deliberate fraudsters who would simply disguise their sloppiness.
• Some suggest the policy is a modest but cost-free improvement, as automated tools can easily verify reference existence, filtering out only the most negligent submissions without burdening careful authors.
• The broader context includes longstanding issues with citation accuracy predating AI, but LLMs have dramatically increased the risk, making automated detection and stricter policies necessary to maintain trust in the scientific record.
The discussion reveals a sharp divide between those who view arXiv's policy as a necessary defense against declining scientific standards and those who see it as a disproportionate punishment for what may be an honest mistake. A strong consensus exists that verifying references is a non-negotiable minimum for academic work, but there is significant disagreement over whether a single hallucinated citation constitutes evidence of fraud or mere negligence. The debate also touches on questions of authorial responsibility, the role of AI as a tool versus a crutch, and the practical challenges of enforcing such policies fairly across co-authored works. While most agree that something must be done to address the flood of low-quality submissions, the severity and implementation of this particular sanction remain contested.