The embattled mega journal Cureus has closed six of its so-called "academic channels". The move follows a joint investigation in May by Science and Retraction Watch that found several organizations critics described as dressed-up paper mills had their own channels at the medical journal.

Although Cureus says it maintains oversight of the articles channels publish, owning a channel allows organizations to appoint "hand-picked editors [who] manage all content from submission to publication," investigation pointed out. The owners of the defunct channels were:

• California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology
• Research Update Organization
• Global Remote Research Scholars Program
• American Academy of Research & Academics (AARA) by IMG Helping Hands
• BioLEAGUES
• Advanced Science Academics