[matheusmoreira]

> Do scientists actually read what they cite?

Yes, but few actually scrutinize the methodology of the studies. Statistics is really hard. It's easier to assume peer reviewers would have rejected the paper if it was bad.

[samhw]

Benford's law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford%27s_law) is a pretty well-known test for fraudulent numbers. Of course, it's not infallible and (depending on the nature of the fake) it may be possible to tailor the numbers to 'pass' it, but it's a good heuristic. I'd be curious to know whether it would have detected this - and, if so, whether it was indeed used.