Rickrolling, a popular Internet trend from the mid-2000s, has made its way into the academic world as shown in a systematic experiment conducted. Surprisingly, there are 23 academic documents deliberately incorporating rickrolling elements such as in footnotes, code listings, and references. The authors argue that rickrolling in academia adds inspiration and humor to the formal setting, potentially benefiting research. This unique research calls for better academic search engines and encourages further study on academic pranks and humor. The presence of rickrolling in scholarly work challenges traditional expectations and highlights the evolving nature of internet culture.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.06826