Getting harassed by an aggressive “independent researcher” demanding very specific citations and phrasing in my paper [D]

A researcher in theoretical computer science and machine learning has come forward on Reddit detailing a campaign of citation harassment from an independent researcher. The aggressor, who describes himself as an 'independent researcher,' sent numerous emails demanding that the victim add multiple citations to his arXiv preprints. Beyond just requesting citations, he provided exact suggested paragraphs with specific wording, insisting his work is 'complementary' and 'parallel' to the victim's results, and even critiquing the victim's choice of words like 'encompass.'

The harassment escalated when the victim did not respond quickly: follow-ups were sent, and the researcher looped in journal editors. The requests continued even after camera-ready deadlines had passed. The victim describes the tone as superficially polite ('narrow remaining concerns,' 'I would be grateful'), but the persistence and detailed boilerplate demands crossed a line into inappropriate behavior. The post raises the question of whether such aggressive citation solicitation is becoming more common in academia, especially in competitive fields like AI research.