Springer Nature to retract machine learning book following Retraction Watch coverage

Springer Nature is retracting a book on machine learning that had multiple references to works that do not exist, Retraction Watch has learned. 

The move comes two weeks after we reported on the book’s fake references.

The link to the information page for the book, Mastering Machine Learning: From Basics to Advanced, now returns “Page not found,” and the text is no longer listed under the book series on computer systems and networks. 

Springer Nature confirmed the removal is part of the retraction process: “The book is being retypeset, including with the addition of a retraction note, to reflect its retracted status. Once that has been completed, it will be back on the website (clearly marked as retracted),” Tim Kersjes, Head of Research Integrity, Resolutions, at the company, told Retraction Watch.  

As we previously reported, many of the citations at the end of chapters contained significant errors, referencing works or chapters of books that do not exist. We confirmed a few of these errors with four people cited in the references.

These types of errors are common in text generated by large language models like ChatGPT. Using AI without declaration for anything besides copy editing is against Springer Nature’s policies.

As of June 26, the book, which sold for $169, had been accessed 3,782 times, according to its information page. 

Following our coverage, Yung En Chee, a quantitative ecologist at the University of Melbourne, contacted her university library, which had the book in its catalog. According to her post on Bluesky and emails we have seen, on July 2, Chee asked the library to “pause access, or ask Springer Nature for an explanation or refund.” The library sent her an update saying the publisher told them they were aware of the problem and were currently investigating what happened. The book was removed from the library’s catalog by July 14. 

Kersjes told us Springer Nature is “committed to publishing content that is accurate, trustworthy, and aligned with the highest editorial standards,” and is “reviewing this case carefully so we can understand what went wrong and ensure it does not happen again.”

Springer Nature has retracted books before, as have other publishers. 

The author of the book, Govindakumar Madhavan, did not respond to our request for comment. According to his author bio, Madhavan is the founder and CEO of SeaportAI. 

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