‘Tortured phrases’ in preprints

This commentary takes note of the existence of ‘tortured phrases’ (i.e., unspecific jargon or confusing alternative phrases), as indexed in the Tortured Phrases Detector of the Problematic Paper Screener (PPS) (sourced on January 10, 2023) in 213 preprints, 13 of which are related to COVID-19. Select ‘tortured phrases’ in 11 preprints are highlighted, to offer readers an appreciation of this phenomenon. The incorrect representation of jargon in the medical and health literature may risk confusing readers by reducing the impact of effective and precise communication. Whereas some ‘tortured phrases’ might represent simple mistranslations, in other cases, an abundance of such terms in a single preprint might reveal a more serious ethical issue, such as the undeclared use of a paper mill or an unprofessional editing service. This commentary is thus only a spring-board to introduce this linguistic phenomenon and to encourage interested academics to explore more cases, the practical implications of their existence, and even the weaknesses and strengths of PPS. Caution is needed about excessive extrapolation of the existence of ‘tortured phrases’, so as not to automatically associate them with ethical infractions or misconduct.

本评论关注到“拗口短语（tortured phrases）”的存在——即含义模糊的行话或令人困惑的替代表述。这些短语已通过问题论文筛查工具（Problematic Paper Screener，PPS）的拗口短语检测器完成索引，数据采集时间为2023年1月10日，涵盖213篇预印本，其中13篇与COVID-19相关。针对11篇预印本中的“拗口短语”进行了重点标注，以帮助读者理解这一语言现象。

医学与健康领域文献中行话的不当表述，可能削弱有效且精准的沟通效果，进而误导读者。部分“拗口短语”可能仅为简单的翻译失误，但在其他情形下，单篇预印本中大量出现这类术语，或许暴露出更为严重的伦理问题，例如未公开使用论文工厂或非专业的编辑润色服务。

因此，本评论仅作为介绍这一语言现象的引子，旨在鼓励感兴趣的学者进一步探索更多相关案例、这类现象存在的实际影响，乃至PPS的优势与局限。需注意切勿过度推断“拗口短语”的存在意义，避免将其与学术不端行为或违规操作直接挂钩。