How Goodhart's Law Breaks Metrics

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Correction history

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1. 29 July 2026 · corrected by Emir Baycan

   Corrected two citations in the article's academic-research section: a Yves Gingras citation-metrics study was given three specific empirical findings not present in his real 2016 book, and a REF portfolio-gaming study was misattributed to Julie Belanger, a real researcher whose actual published work covers different REF topics.

   Before

   Article attributed three specific measured findings to a 2016 Gingras 'analysis' and a longitudinal REF study specifically to Julie Belanger, neither of which is verifiable.

   After

   Gingras citation corrected to accurately describe his real 2016 book's general findings without the invented specific statistics; the REF portfolio-gaming finding, which is real and well documented in the literature, is now described without the incorrect author attribution.

   Why: Verified both named-author citations against their real published work; found real people and real institutions with fabricated specific findings or study attributions layered on top, the same pattern confirmed across other WNF articles this session.

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Full contribution timeline

1. Correction 29 July 2026

   Emir Baycan: Corrected two citations in the article's academic-research section: a Yves Gingras citation-metrics study was given three specific empirical findings not present in his real 2016 book, and a REF portfolio-gaming study was misattributed to Julie Belanger, a real researcher whose actual published work covers different REF topics.

   Proof record →