Researcher and biotech founder in Ireland issues four retractions

An award-winning researcher and founder of a biotech company based in Ireland has retracted four papers and corrected another. In the last few weeks, Therese Kinsella — a professor at the University of College of Dublin (UCD) — has issued a correction and three retractions in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) of papers dating … Continue reading Researcher and biotech founder in Ireland issues four retractions

Glasgow professor leaves post amidst multiple retractions

A professor specializing in the health of children and pregnant women has left her post at the University of Glasgow, and issued three retractions in recent months. All three notices — issued by PLOS ONE — mention an investigation at the university, which found signs of data manipulation and falsification. Fiona Lyall, the last author … Continue reading Glasgow professor leaves post amidst multiple retractions

A journal just removed a 26-year-old article from its archives, with little explanation

This one gave us pause: A journal recently removed a 1992 paper, providing only a terse explanation — “The above article has been removed at the author’s request.” Author John Frank Nowikowski tells Retraction Watch he never submitted the article to the Police Journal; it was originally published in the Buenos Aires Herald in Argentina. He … Continue reading A journal just removed a 26-year-old article from its archives, with little explanation

A 2015 PNAS paper is six pages long. Its correction is four pages long.

Sometimes, corrections are so extensive, they can only be called one thing: Mega-corrections. Recently, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) issued a four-page correction notice to a paper about a compound that appeared to reduce the chances a cancer will recur. The notice describes figure duplication, problems with error bars and figure … Continue reading A 2015 PNAS paper is six pages long. Its correction is four pages long.

A journal waited 13 months to reject a submission. Days later, it published a plagiarized version by different authors

When a researcher submitted a manuscript to a journal about multimedia tools, she was frustrated to wait 13 months for the journal to make a decision — only to have it reject the paper outright. So imagine how she felt when, days after the paper was rejected, she saw the journal had published a plagiarized … Continue reading A journal waited 13 months to reject a submission. Days later, it published a plagiarized version by different authors

A medical school put a scientist found guilty of misconduct in charge of an NIH grant

After a scientist was found guilty of misconduct at one university, a new institution asked to take over his grant and put him in charge of it. But the new institution — the Morehouse School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia — denies they ever employed him. As we reported in May for The Scientist, Santosh … Continue reading A medical school put a scientist found guilty of misconduct in charge of an NIH grant

Nature cancer paper that raised animal welfare concerns is retracted

When Nature published a paper in 2011 describing a compound extracted from a pepper plant that appeared to kill cancer cells but leave healthy cells unscathed, it got some attention. Of course, the news caught the media’s eye, but also that of other researchers, who have since jumped on the concept, and continued to study … Continue reading Nature cancer paper that raised animal welfare concerns is retracted

Meet two data sleuths who paid a steep price for raising concerns about a problematic paper

Researchers Malte Elson and Patrick Markey probably didn’t know what they were getting into when they first raised questions about a problematic study of the possible effects of violent video games. Like many other data sleuths out there, they simply wanted to ensure the scientific record wasn’t muddied by problematic data — particularly in such … Continue reading Meet two data sleuths who paid a steep price for raising concerns about a problematic paper

Court orders journal to retract a paper after supplement seller sues

An Italian court has ordered a journal to retract a paper. But it hasn’t just yet. Instead, the Journal of Ovarian Research has published an expression of concern about the 2012 paper, replete with obfuscating legal language. Here’s the text: Pursuant to a decree of the Tribunal of Catania, First Civil Section, LJ Pharma SRL … Continue reading Court orders journal to retract a paper after supplement seller sues

Medical ethicist: “I now understand that I should not have been re-using material”

A researcher in medical ethics has retracted two papers within the last two years after admitting to reusing material from previous publications. Ezio Di Nucci, based at the University of Copenhagen, claims he “had misunderstood the relevant practices.” The first retraction, issued in 2017 by the Journal of Value Inquiry, notes the paper “constituted the … Continue reading Medical ethicist: “I now understand that I should not have been re-using material”