Sir, a publication in the journal Science1 highlighted a growing threat to the scientific and medical communities: the manipulation of data through the use of computer-generated images. This article, which focused on Alzheimer's disease research,2 revealed how subtle and hard-to-detect manipulations can have substantial consequences for the accuracy and credibility of scientific findings. The study in question was published in 2006 and has since been cited nearly 2,300 times, centred around the theory that beta-amyloid plays a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. However, upon closer inspection of the images used in the study, evidence of potential image manipulation was found. Specifically, the suspicion is on an image of a Western Blot that may have been constructed using images from different experiments. Whilst the investigation is ongoing, it raises concerns that the results may not be entirely accurate.

This issue highlights a new threat to the integrity of academic publishing. With greater access to increasingly sophisticated digital tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), those involved in academic publishing (from funders to journals) need to be aware of the risk of very convincing image manipulation and data falsification. Unfortunately, this problem is not confined to academia, as demonstrated by a recent case where a photographer won a prize at the Sony World Photography awards using an entirely AI-generated image.3

The field of dentistry is not immune to such issues. Dental journals must establish critical and robust mechanisms to detect and prevent any such activities that threaten the integrity of academic publishing. The scientific and medical communities must proactively ensure that research is based on honest data and that researchers adhere to strict ethical guidelines when conducting and seeking to publish their work. As the Science article aptly states, 'You can't cheat to cure a disease…'1

It is essential that the scientific and medical communities including publishers work together as a collective to share resources, develop tools for identifying such issues and impose serious sanctions on those who seek to undermine the necessity of high standards of ethical practice. Only by doing so can we ensure that our findings are reliable and trustworthy, and ultimately, seek to improve patient care.