Serbian journal cleans house with 16 retractions and 2 corrections after investigation

Archives of Biological SciencesEditors at the Archives of Biological Sciences, the official journal of Serbian Biological Society, have unleashed a flood of retractions and corrections as part of an effort to fix the mistakes of the former editorial board.

The fixes 16 retractions and two corrections, by our count are in response to a formal investigation that took place last year, and ended with a call for a two-year suspension of the journal’s funding and the resignation of key management figures, including the editor-in-chief, Božidar Ćurčić (who resigned after the announcement).

Goran Poznanović, the new editor-in-chief at ABS, told us that the journal is invested in cleaning up past mistakes and will investigate every request.

The new Editorial Board of the ABS is investing all efforts to rectify the problems that were inherited from the previous editorial board. The aims and scope of the journal have been clearly defined and are laid out on the journal’s web page. In addition, we have also published an Editorial Announcement in vol. 67(2) 2015. The new editorial team will continue to correct all mistakes while striving to ensure accurate, timely, fair and ethical publication of scientific papers that the ABS has been traditionally known for. We have invited all readers of the journal to directly contact the editorial office to report cases of publishing malpractice. As a result, we have and will most likely continue to receive anonymous “requests” from the post-publication peer review portal (PubPeer). Every request has been investigated with great care with our team of reviewers. This explains the list of retractions and corrigenda that have been published. We appreciate PubPeer’s effort as it is conducive towards improving scientific publishing in the ABS.

In June, the editors posted this editorial announcement:

In the summer of 2014, the Archives of Biological Sciences was singled out as a scientific journal that had veered away from the ethical publishing practice of scientific journals and was placed on the list of predatory journals. Members of the scientific public in Serbia directly affected by the accusations were mobilised, and after thorough investigation it was concluded that many of these accusations were founded. As a result, the Serbian Biological Society and other co-publishers of the journal replaced the entire editorial team. The new Editorial Board was confronted with the difficult task of resolving many outstanding issues which primarily affected contributors and scientific research in life sciences, as well as official bodies that support scientific publishing in Serbia.

We are issuing this announcement in order to express our deep regret to the scientific community for past mismanagement of scientific information. The new editorial team will continue to correct all mistakes while striving to ensure accurate, timely, fair and ethical publication of scientific papers that the Archives of Biological Sciences has been traditionally known for. We are calling all readers of the journal to directly contact the editorial office and the editors of the journal regarding any case of publishing malpractice in the future, to ensure prompt remediation.

The new Editorial Board adheres to the Best Practice Guidelines in order to improve the overall quality of the Archives of Biological Sciences and in this way hopes to regain the trust of previous and future contributors.

The new administrators uncovered issues with plagiarism and duplication.

Many authors appear more than once, including standouts like Lidija Radenović, who co-authored six of the retracted studies.

According to our Google translated version of this Serbian news story, Radenović is under investigation at the University of Belgrade for plagiarism. In 2012, Mico Tatalovic authored a guest post for us about the alarming rate of plagiarism in Serbian journals.

Here are all 16 retractions.

“The Selectivity of DNA Insecticides,” a 2014 study, was retracted when editors learned that it had already been published months earlier by Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. This study is not listed in Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

The notice reads:

Oberemok V, Nyadar P. The Selectivity of DNA Insecticides. Arch. Biol. Sci. 2014;66(4):1479-1483. DOI: 10.2298/ABS1404479O

This is a notice of retraction of the article: The Selectivity of DNA Insecticides, by Oberemok V. and Nyadar P., published in the Archives of Biological Sciences Vol. 66, Issue 4, 2014. Due to inadequate exchange of information at the time when the complete Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences were replaced, the authors of the above article did not receive timely information regarding the status of their paper. The authors continued their research and submitted it to another journal where it was published: Oberemok V, Skorokhod O. Single-stranded DNA fragments of insect-specific nuclear polyhedrosis virus act as selective DNA insecticides for gypsy moth control. Pest. Biochem. Physiol. 2014;113: 1-7. doi:10.1016/j.pestbp.2014.05.005. Unaware of this, the Archives of Biological Sciences published the article in Vol. 66, Issue 4, 2014. The first author informed the Editorial Board about this in December 2014 and expressed his wish to have the article retracted. The Editorial Board reviewed both articles and confirmed that they partially overlap.

“Modification of the acetylcholine-induced current of the snail Helix pomatia L. by fast temperature changes,” was published in 2005 and retracted because it was an exact copy (with the exception of the abstract) of an article printed by the Journal of Comparative Physiology A earlier that year. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Nedeljković M, Kartelija G, Radenović L. Modification of the acetylcholine-induced current of the snail Helix pomatia L. by fast temperature changes. Arch. Biol. Sci. 2005;57(3):181-7. DOI:10.2298/ABS0503181N

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Modification of the acetylcholine-induced current of the snail Helix pomatia L. by fast temperature changes, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2005, Vol. 57, Issue 3. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Nedeljkovic M, Kartelija G, Radenovic L, Todorovic N. The effect of cooling on the acetylcholine-induced current of identified Helix pomatia Br Neuron. J Comp Physiol A. 2005;191(5):445-60. This claim is correct and the entire paper, except the abstract, is a verbatim copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

“Photosensitive neurons in mollusks,” a 2005 paper was also retracted after editors learned that it was a duplicate of a study published two years earlier in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, The 2003 version has been cited seven times, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice.

Kartelija G, Nedeljković M, Radenović L. Photosensitive neurons in mollusks. Arch Biol Sci. 2005;57(4):247-58. DOI:10.2298/ABS0504247K

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Photosensitive neurons in mollusks, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2005, Vol. 57, Issue 4. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Kartelija G, Nedeljkovic M, Radenovic L. Photosensitive neurons in mollusks. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2003, 134(3):483-495. This claim is correct and the entire paper is a verbatim copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

“Mitochondrial superoxide production and MnSOD activity following exposure to an agonist and antagonists of ionotropic receptors in rat brain,” a 2005 paper that mirrored a 2004 study in Brain Research Bulletin, was also retracted for plagiarism. This study is not listed in Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Radenović L, Selaković V. Mitochondrial superoxide production and MnSOD activity following exposure to an agonist and antagonists of ionotropic receptors in rat brain. Arch Biol Sci. 2005;57(1):1-10. DOI:10.2298/ABS0501001R

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Mitochondrial superoxide production and MnSOD activity following exposure to an agonist and antagonists of ionotropic glutamate receptors in rat brain, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2005, Vol. 57, Issue 1. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Radenović L, Selaković V, Kartelija G, Todorović N, Nedeljković M. Differential effects of NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptor antagonists on superoxide production and MnSOD activity in rat brain following intrahippocampal injection. Brain Res Bull, 2004, 64(1):85-93. This claim is correct and almost the entire paper is a verbatim copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

“Kainate-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in the rat brain,” was also retracted for plagiarism. The 2005 article was a duplicate of a 2004 paper in Neuroscience Research Communications. This study was also not listed in Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

The notice reads:

Radenović L, Selaković V. Kainate-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in the rat brain. Arch Biol Sci, 2005, 57(4):259-266. DOI: 10.2298/ABS0504259R

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Kainate-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in the rat brain, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2005, Vol. 57, Issue 4. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Radenović L, Jovanović M, Vasiljević I, Selaković V. Superoxide production and the activity of MnSOD in rat brain after intrahippocampal kainate-induced seizure. Neurosci Res Comm, 2004, 34(2):92-103. This claim is correct and almost the entire paper is a verbatim copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

A 2007 article, “Effect of glutamate antagonists effect on nitric oxide production in rat brain following intrahippocampal injection,” was retracted for plagiarizing a 2005 article in Brain Research Bulletin. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Radenović L, Selaković V, Janać B, Todorović D. Effect of glutamate antagonists effect on nitric oxide production in rat brain following intrahippocampal injection. Arch Biol Sci. 2007;59(1):29-36. DOI: 10.2298/ABS0701029R

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Effect of glutamate antagonists effect on nitric oxide production in rat brain following intrahippocampal injection, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2007, Vol. 59, Issue 1. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Radenović L, Selaković V. Differential effects of NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptor antagonists on nitric oxide production in rat brain following intrahippocampal injection. Brain Res Bull. 2005;67(1-2):133-41. The results presented in the article that is being retracted overlap with the results presented in the original article without appropriate justification, permission or crossreferencing. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

Effect of 7-nitroindazole on superoxide production and MnSOD activity in the rat brain following kainate-induced neurotoxicity,” a 2008 paper was retracted for using data from a 2004 article in Brain Research Bulletin and presenting it as novel research. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

The notice reads:

Radenović L. Effect of 7-nitroindazole on superoxide production and MnSOD activity in the rat brain following kainate-induced neurotoxicity. Arch Biol Sci, 2008, 60(1):25-32. DOI: 10.2298/ABS0801025R

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Effect of 7-nitroindazole on superoxide production and MnSOD activity in the rat brain following kainate-induced neurotoxicity, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2008, Vol. 60, Issue 1. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Radenovic L, Selakovic V, Kartelija G, Todorovic N, Nedeljkovic M. Dif- ferential effects of NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptor antagonists on superoxide production and MnSOD activity in rat brain following intrahippocampal injection. Brain Res Bull, 2004, 64(1):85-93. The results in the article being retracted were presented as findings obtained from novel research. Inspection of the results has revealed that they were part of research already presented in the original article without appropriate justification or cross-referencing. The Editor-in-Chief considered publishing a notice of redundancy specifying the elements published previously. However, since the original article had already been autoplagiarized by the same corresponding author in the same journal (retraction DOI:10.2298/ABS150318026E), the article is being retracted in accordance with the publishing ethics of the Archives of Biological Sciences in order to preserve the integrity of scientific research.

We apologize to the journal’s readers that it took so long to notice this error and instigate retraction of the paper. We request our readers to contact the editorial office and editors of the journal directly should similar cases occur in the future, so that the necessary action can be taken more promptly

“Fumagillin-induced chromosome aberrations in mouse bone-marrow cells,” was published in 2010 and has been cited three times, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge. It was retracted for plagiarizing a 2009 paper in Genetika and study figures also show up in a 2006 article in Acta Veterinaria and a 2007 article in Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis.

Here’s the notice:

Stanimirović Z, Aleksić N, Kulić M, Maletić M. Fumagillin-induced chromosome aberrations in mouse bone-marrow cells. Arch Biol Sci. 2010;62(1):47-55. DOI: 10.2298/ABS1001047S

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Fumagillin-induced chromosome aberrations in mouse bone-marrow cells, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2010, Vol. 62, Issue 1. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper plagiarizes an earlier paper: Kulić M, Aleksić N, Stanimirović Z, Ristić S, Medenica S. Examination of genotoxic effects of fumagillin in vivo. Genetika. 2009;41(3):329-38. The results presented in the article that is being retracted partially overlap with the results in the original article without appropriate justification, permission or crossreferencing. Further, Figs. 1 and 2 in the retracted article also appear in: Stanimirović Z, Stevanović J, Kulić M, Stojic V. Frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the evaluation of genotoxic potential of dicyclohexylamine (fumagillin) in vivo. Acta Veterinaria. 2006;56(4):353-66. and in Stanimirovic Z, Stevanovic J, Bajic V, Radovic I. Evaluation of genotoxic effects of fumagillin by cytogenetic tests in vivo. Mutat Res. 2007;628(1):1-10. These figures (in the retracted article) have been subsequently tampered with and therefore present falsified results. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

“In vitro bulblet regeneration from immature embryos of endangered and endemic Muscari azureum,” a 2011 study was retracted because it was a duplicate of a 2010 article in the African Journal of Biotechnology. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Uranbey S. In vitro bulblet regeneration from immature embryos of endangered and endemic Muscari azureum. Arch Biol Sci. 2011;63(1):209-15 DOI: 10.2298/ABS1101209U

This is a notice of retraction of the article: In vitro bulblet regeneration from immature embryos of endangered and endemic Muscari azureum, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2011, Vol. 63, Issue 1. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper is a duplicate of an earlier paper: Uranbey S. In vitro bulblet regeneration from immature embryos of Muscari azureum. Afr J Biotechnol. 2010;9(32):5121-5. This claim is correct and the entire paper is a verbatim copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

We apologize to the readers of the journal that it took so many years to notice this error and to retract the paper. We request readers of the journal to directly get in touch with the editorial office and the editors of the journal for similar cases in the future, so that they can be handled promptly.

Editors issued a retraction for a 2014 study, “A method for the rapid detection and identification of halo blight pathogen on common bean,” because some of the results had already appeared. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

The notice reads:

This is a notice of retraction of the article: A method for the rapid detection and identification of halo blight pathogen on common bean, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2014, Vol. 66, Issue 4.

The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that the results presented in Fig 1. in this article have already been presented in Fig 3. in the article: Balaž J, Popović T, Vasić M, Nikolić Z. Elaboration of methods for detection of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola on bean seeds. Pesticidi i fitomedicina. 2008; 23(2):81-8. DOI: 10.2298/PIF0802081B; and the results presented in Fig 2. have already been presented in Fig 4. in the article: Popović T, Milovanović P, Aleksić G, Gavrilović V, Starović M, Vasić M, Balaž J. Application of semi-selective mediums in routine diagnostic testing of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola on common bean seeds. Sci Agric. 2012;69(4):265-70.

After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

A school garden in biotechnical education,” a 2014 paper was retracted because it had already been published by ABS earlier that year. The study hasn’t been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice.

Pogačnik M, Žnidarčič D, Strgar J. A school garden in biotechnical education. Arch Biol Sci.2014;66(2):785-92. DOI: 10.2298/ABS1402785P

This is a notice of retraction of the article: A school garden in biotechnical education, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2014, Vol. 66, Issue 2.

Due to a printing error, caused by the journal, the same paper has already been published in the Archives of Biological Sciences, Vol. 66, Issue 1, 2014 (DOI: 10.2298/ABS1401393P). Therefore, the latter article is being retracted. The corresponding author has been informed of this error and retraction. We apologize to the authors and to the readers for this error.

A 2013 article, Effect of potassium oxalate on liver function and kidney tissue of dogs (beagles),” was retracted for duplicate publication. The paper was first published months earlier in Life Sciences. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Mohamaden W, Wang H, Guan H, Li J. Effect of potassium oxalate on liver function and kidney tissue of dogs (beagles). Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(4):1363-70.

DOI: 10.2298/ABS1304363M

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Effect of potassium oxalate on liver function and kidney tissue of dogs (beagles), published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 4. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper is a duplicate of an earlier paper: Mohamaden W, Wang H, Guan H, Meng X, Li J. Effect of potassium oxalate injection on serum and kidney tissue of beagle dogs. Life Sci J. 2013;10(2):1537-42. This claim is correct and the results have already been presented in the article published earlier. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately. We apologize for this error.

“The protective effect of vitamin E against genotoxicity of lead acetate intraperitoneal administration in male rat,” a 2013 study was retracted because it was a duplicate of another 2013 paper in Notulae Scientia Biologicae. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Hamadouche NA, Sadi N, Kharoubi O, Slimani M, Aoues A. The protective effect of vitamin E against genotoxicity of lead acetate intraperitoneal administration in male rat. Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(4):1435-45 DOI: 10.2298/ABS1304435H

This is a notice of retraction of the article: The protective effect of vitamin E against genotoxicity of lead acetate intraperitoneal administration in male rat, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 4. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper is a duplicate of an earlier paper: Hamadouche NA, Sadi N, Kharoubi O, Slimani M, Aoues A. The protective effect of vitamin E against genotoxicity of lead acetate intraperitoneal administration in male rat. Notulae scientia biologicae. 2013;5(4):412-9. This claim is correct and the results have already been presented in the article published earlier. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately. We apologize for this error.

“Seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton in Wular lake of the Kashmir Himalaya,” a 2013 paper, was retracted after editors learned that study authors had reused data from previously published in the Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, the Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences and the Journal of Ecology and The Natural Environment. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

The notice explains:

Shah JA, Pandit AK. Seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton in Wular Lake of the Kashmir Himalaya. Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(3):1063-8. DOI: 10.2298/ABS130363B

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton in Wular lake of the Kashmir Himalaya, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 3. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed of different degrees of scholarly misconduct in figures and tables presented in this article. After inspection, the following issues were revealed:

1) Table 2 contains a subset of the results described in Table 2 in previously published papers, respectively:

  1. Shah J A, Pandit A K. Relation between physico-chemical limnology and crustacean community in Wular Lake of Kashmir Himalaya. Pak J Biol Sci. 2013;16(19):976-83. DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2013.976.983
  2. Shah J A, Pandit A K. Diversity and Abundance of Cladoceran Zooplankton in Wular Lake, Kashmir Himalaya. Res J Environ Earth Sci. 2013;5(7):410-7. e-ISSN: 2041- 0492

III. Shah J A, Pandit A K, Shah M. Distribution, diversity and abundance of copepod zooplankton of Wular Lake, Kashmir Himalaya. J Ecol Nat Environ. 2013;5(2):24-9. DOI:10.5897/JENE12.100

2) Tables 2 and 3 are examples of duplication of data presented in the previously published paper: Shah J A, Pandit A K. Relation between physico-chemical limnology and crustacean community in Wular Lake of Kashmir Himalaya. Pak J Biol Sci. 2013;16(19):976-83. DOI:10.3923/pjbs.2013.976.983

3) Table3isarearrangedpresentationofasubsetofdatapresentedinTable2ofthepreviously published paper: Shah J A, Pandit A K. Diversity and abundance of cladoceran zooplankton in Wular Lake, Kashmir Himalaya. Res J Environ Earth Sci. 2013;5(7):410-7. e-ISSN: 2041- 0492

After confirmation of these claims, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

Editors also issued a retraction for a 2013 article, “Anticoagulant effect of Huisheng Oral Solution in a rat model of thrombosis,” for duplication with a paper posted by the Indian Journal of Pharmacology earlier that year. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Shuang-Qing L, Jiang-Ying G, Qun D, Zhong-Jie H, Shu-Hong L. Anticoagulant effect of Huisheng Oral Solution in a rat model of thrombosis. Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(3):1223-31.

DOI: 10.2298/ABS1303223L

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Anticoagulant effect of Huisheng Oral Solution in a rat model of thrombosis, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 3. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper is a redundant publication of an earlier paper: Shuang-Qing L, Jian-Ying G, Jun D, Qun D, Zhong-Jie H, Hong-Yuan L, Shu-Hong L. Anticoagulant effect of Huisheng oral solution in a rat model of thrombosis. Indian J Pharmacol. 2013;45(4):359-64. DOI: 10.4103/0253-7613.115018. This claim is correct and almost the entire paper is a copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.

A 2013 study, “The evaluation of fish farming impact by nutrient content and chlorophyll a in Mala Lamljana bay,” was retracted because the data had already been used in a 2010 article in the International Science Index. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Jelic-Mrcelic G, Sliskovic M. The evaluation of fish farming impact by nutrient content and chlorophyll A in Mala Lamljana bay. Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(2):567-70.DOI: 10.2298/ABS1302567J

This is a notice of retraction of the article: The evaluation of fish farming impact by nutrient content and chlorophyll A in Mala Lamljana bay, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 3. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that the data in this article has already been published in the following article: Jelic Mrcelic G, Sliskovic M. The impact of fish cages on water quality in one fish farm in Croatia. Int Sci Index. 2010;4(8):775-8. Inspection of these articles has revealed the following: a significant part of the data in the article published in the Archives of Biological Sciences was published without proper cross-referencing to the data already published in the earlier paper. This issue was discussed with one of the two authors and it was mutually agreed to retract the article.

Here are the two corrections.

“Population variability and comparative analysis of macroelement concentrations in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) leaves and surrounding soils,” a 2014 paper was corrected to provide proper cross-referencing to tables that “partially overlap” with figures in a 2010 article published in Genetika. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Batos B, Orlović S, Miletić Z, Rakonjac Lj, Miljković D. Population variability and comparative analysis of macroelement concentrations in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) Leaves and surrounding soils. Arch Biol Sci. 2014;66(4):1345-55

DOI: 10.2298/ABS1404345B

The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that the results in Table 1 and in Table 2 presented in the article: Population variability and comparative analysis of macroelement concentrations in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) Leaves and surrounding soils published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2014, Vol. 66, Issue 4 partially overlap with the results in Tables 1, 2, 3a and 3b, published in the article Batos B, Miletić Z, Orlović S, Miljković D. Variability of nutritive macroelements in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) leaves in Serbia. Genetika. 2010;42(3):435-53, DOI: 10.2298/GENSR1003435B without proper cross-referencing.

This claim is correct and we are reporting this overlap in order to provide appropriate cross- referencing to the earlier work.

“Single and combined effects of acute and chronic non-thermal stressors on rat interscapular brown adipose tissue metabolic activity,” a 2013 article was also corrected because of an overlap with a 2011 paper in ABS. It has not been cited, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.

Here’s the notice:

Cvijić G, Lakić I, Vujović P, Jasnić N, Djurašević S, Dronjak-Čučaković S, Djordjević J. Single and combined effects of acute and chronic non-thermal stressors on rat interscapular brown adipose tissue metabolic activity. Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(3):919-27 DOI:10.2298/ABS1303919C

The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that the results in Fig. 2A in the article: Single and combined effects of acute and chronic non-thermal stressors on rat interscapular brown adipose tissue metabolic activity, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 3, partially overlap with the results in Fig. 2, published in the article: Lakic I, Drenca T, Djordjevic J, Vujovic P, Jasnic N, Djurasevic S, Dronjak-Cucakovic S, Cvijic G. Arch Biol Sci. 2011;63(3):589-96, DOI:10.2298/ABS1103589L.

After inspection of these articles and illustrations, and after discussion with the corresponding author of both articles, it was revealed that this is a case of partial overlap, i.e. of the authors presenting new findings that contain a comparatively small amount of previously published information. By publishing this corrigendum the journal is providing appropriate cross- referencing to the earlier work.

We’ve reached out to Radenović and we’ll update with any reply.

Update 11/13/15 1:30 p.m. eastern: We’ve discovered some additional changes to the record. Here’s a retraction we missed, pulled for a “printing error”:

And here are three corrections:

  • Corrigendum: Stojković D, Glamočlija J, Ćirić A, Nikolić M, Ristić M, Šiljegović J, Soković M. Investigation on antibacterial synergism of Origanum vulgare and Thymus vulgaris essential oils. Arch biol sci. 2013;65(2):639-43. DOI: 10.2298/ABS1302639S
    Editorial
    Archives of Biological Sciences, 2015 OnLine-First (00):85-85
  • Corrigendum: Tasić S, Kojić M, Obradović D, Tasić I. Molecular and biochemical characterization of Pseudomonas putida isolated from bottled uncarbonated mineral drinking water. Arch Biol Sci. 2014, 66(1):23-8. DOI:10.2298/ABS1401023T
    Editorial
    Archives of Biological Sciences, 2015 OnLine-First (00):125-125
  • Corrigendum: Živković L, Bajić VP, Žukovec D, Čabarkapa A, Spremo-Potparević B. Alterations of acrocentric chromosomes in peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Arch biol sci. 2013;65(2):439-45 DOI:10.2298/ABS1302439Z
    Editorial
    Archives of Biological Sciences, 2015 OnLine-First (00):84-84

Hat tip: Anonymous

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6 thoughts on “Serbian journal cleans house with 16 retractions and 2 corrections after investigation”

  1. Studia Botanica Hungarica 43, pp. 27–45, 2012
    BRYOPHYTE FLORA OF LAKE VLASINA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS (SE SERBIA)
    B. Papp 1, E. Szurdoki 1, M. Sabovljević 2
    1 Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum H–1476 Budapest, Pf. 222, Hungary
    2 Institute of Botany and Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade Takovska 43, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
    http://www.nhmus.hu/modules/Tar-Noveny/studia/pappetal2012.pdf

    Physcomitrium eurystomum and Pohlia proligera, new mosses in the bryophyte flora of Serbia
    Papp Beáta, Szurdoki Erzsébet, Pantović Jovana, Sabovljević M.S.
    Archives of Biological Sciences, 2013 65(2):703-706
    DOI: 10.2298/ABS1302703P
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?id=0354-46641302703P#.VZ7RtcsVjIU
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2013/0354-46641302703P.pdf

    PubPeer:
    https://pubpeer.com/publications/4C269787C9437266CB5905DF2F2294

    Retraction:
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2015%20OnLine-First/0354-46641500129E.pdf
    “The article Papp B, Szurdoki E, Pantović J, Sabovljević M.S. Physcomitrium eurystomum and Pohlia proligera, new mosses in the bryophyte flora of Serbia. Arch Biol Sci. 2013;65(2):703-6. DOI:10.2298/ABS1302703P repeats data already published in Studia Botanica Hungarica in 2012 [Papp B, Szurdoki E, Sabovljević M. Bryophyte flora of lake Vlasina and its surroundings (SE Serbia). Studia Bot Hung. 2012;43:27-45] without proper referencing.”

  2. Archives of Biological Sciences, 2013 65(4):1447-1457
    Ecotoxicity of Ag-nanoparticles on two microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella tertiolecta
    Hazani Amal A., Ibrahim Mohamed M., Shehata Afaf I., El-Gaaly Gehan A., Daoud Mohamed, Fouad Dalia, Rizwana Humaira, Moubayed Nadine M.S.
    DOI: 10.2298/ABS1304447H
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2013/0354-46641304447H.pdf

    Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology Vol. 7 No. Special Edition Nov. 2013
    Ecotoxicity of Ag-Nanoparticles to Microalgae
    Amal A. Hazani1, Mohamed M. Ibrahim2,3*, Ibrahim A. Arif3, Afaf I. Shehata1, Gehan EL-Gaaly1, Mohamed Daoud4, Dalia Fouad4, Humaira Rizwana1 and Nadine Moubayed1
    1Botany and Microbiology Department, Science College, King Saud University, P.O. Box, 22452, Riyadh, 11495 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2Alexandria University, Faculty of Science, Botany and Microbiology Department, P. O. Box 21511 Alexandria, Egypt. 3Prince Sultan Research Chair for Environment & WildlifeScience College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Botany and Microbiology Department, P.O. Box, 2455, Riyadh, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 4Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, king Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
    Received on 12 August 2013 and accepted on 15 October 2013
    http://www.microbiologyjournal.org/jmabsread.php?snoid=1349&month=&year=

    https://pubpeer.com/publications/4D8656248487258FF416DC273AB47D

    Retracted paper:
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2015%20OnLine-First/0354-46641500137E.pdf
    Reason/explanation: “This is a notice of retraction of the article: Ecotoxicity of Ag-nanoparticles on two microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella tertiolecta, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences in 2013, Vol. 65, Issue 4. The Editor-in-Chief has been informed that this paper is a duplicate of an earlier paper: Hazani A, Ibrahim M, Arif I, Shehata A, EL-Gaaly G, Daoud M, Fouad D, Rizwana H, Moubayed N. Ecotoxicity of Ag-Nanoparticles to Microalgae. J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2013;7(Spl. Ed.): 233-241. This claim is correct and the entire paper is a verbatim copy of the earlier one. After confirmation of this fact, the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences has decided to retract the paper immediately.”

  3. Summary of the number of corrigenda and retractions in the past 5 issues:
    20 retractions. 5 corrigenda.

    Vol 68(1) (2016)
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/issue.aspx?issueid=2637
    3 retractions. 1 corrigendum.

    Vol 67(4) (2015)
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/issue.aspx?issueid=2561
    4 retractions. 3 corrigenda.

    Vol 67(3) (2015)
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/issue.aspx?issueid=2528
    5 retractions; 1 corrigendum.

    Vol 67(2) (2015)
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/issue.aspx?issueid=2459
    6 retractions.

    Vol 67(1) (2015)
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/issue.aspx?issueid=2414
    2 retractions.

  4. Kindly observe these four papers.

    Archives of Biological Sciences, 2013 65(1):171-181
    Population genetic structure analysis of Sclerotinia sclerotio rum (Lib.) de Bary from different host plant species in northern Iran
    Barari Hossein, Dalili Seyed Alireza, Rezaii Seyed Aliakbar
    DOI:10.2298/ABS1301171B
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?id=0354-46641301171B#.Vwf2HXJJnIU
    http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2013/0354-46641301171B.pdf

    Romanian Agricultural Research, NO. 29, 2012, pp. 323-331
    Genetic and morphological differences among populations of Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum by microsatellite markers, mycelia compatibility groups (MCGS) and aggressiveness in north of Iran.
    Hossein Barari, Vahid Alavi, Susanna M. Badalyan
    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231182538
    http://www.incda-fundulea.ro/rar.htm
    http://www.incda-fundulea.ro/rar/rar29.htm
    http://www.incda-fundulea.ro/rar/nr29/rar29.40.pdf

    International Journal of Biology Vol. 3, No. 2; April 2011, pp. 61-66
    Study of Genetic Variations Based on the Morphological Characteristics, within the Population of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from the Major Oilseed Planting Areas in Iran
    Hossein Barari, Vahid Alavi, Esmaeil Yasari, S.M. Badalyan
    DOI: 10.5539/ijb.v3n2p61
    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228501564
    http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijb/issue/view/335
    http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijb/article/view/8969

    World Applied Sciences Journal 8 (3): 326-333, 2010
    Genetic and Morphological Diversities in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Isolates in Northern Parts of Iran
    http://www.idosi.org/wasj/wasj8(3)2010.htm
    http://www.idosi.org/wasj/wasj8(3)10/10.pdf
    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236320585

    IJB
    https://pubpeer.com/publications/E3C1D7A6069319521148FE3D21F7E6
    ABS
    https://pubpeer.com/publications/2D2F7A55019A19239DFE0780B9A217

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