Search Results for: sting

How a Cell journal weeds out the “bad apples”

There are a lot of accusations about research misconduct swirling around, and not every journal handles them the same. Recently, Cell Metabolism Scientific Editor Anne Granger and Cell Metabolism Editor-in-Chief Nikla Emambokus shared some details about their investigative procedure in “Weeding out the Bad Apples.” We talked to them about why they don’t necessarily trust accusations leveled on … Continue reading How a Cell journal weeds out the “bad apples”

Oops — Springer journals retract three articles published by accident

Journals published by Springer have retracted three articles in different disciplines, noting in all instances the articles were published by mistake. A Springer spokesperson told us all three papers were pulled as a result of “human error.” In two instances, the notices say the editors-in-chief never meant to accept the papers, since the recommendation was … Continue reading Oops — Springer journals retract three articles published by accident

More questions arise over gene-editing tool

A new letter signed by 20 researchers is casting additional doubts on the validity of a potentially invaluable lab tool — and alleges the lab that produced the initial results turned them away when they tried to replicate its findings in mammalian cells. In a letter published this week in Protein & Cell, the researchers … Continue reading More questions arise over gene-editing tool

Authors retract paper lacking approval to study asthma in athletes

The authors of a 2014 study about asthma in Norwegian athletes have retracted it after realizing they hadn’t obtained proper approval from an ethical committee. The study’s first and corresponding author of the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine — Julie Stang from the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences in Oslo — told … Continue reading Authors retract paper lacking approval to study asthma in athletes

Authors pull two papers about faulty glucose meters after industry prompts

Two papers evaluating glucose meters — used by diabetics to monitor blood sugar levels — suggested that a couple of the devices don’t work as well as they should. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the companies that sell those meters objected to how the studies were conducted. By all accounts, the companies appear to be justified in their complaints. In both cases, … Continue reading Authors pull two papers about faulty glucose meters after industry prompts

Should journals reject papers solely on ethical grounds?

Recently, an ecology journal received a submission that made them pause. In order to conduct their research, the authors had to kill thousands of fish. The study had been approved by conservation authorities, but it still wasn’t sitting well with the journal. So it rejected the paper, on ethical grounds. Biological Conservation explained its decision in … Continue reading Should journals reject papers solely on ethical grounds?

Make America Retract Again: Physics group yanks release that quoted Trump, angered scientists

Bowing to outraged scientists, the American Physical Society (APS) has retracted a press release (archived here) it issued yesterday that urged President-elect Donald Trump to  “Make America Great Again” by strengthening “scientific leadership.” The statement, attributed to Tawanda Johnson, in the APS’ Washington, D.C. office, congratulated Trump on his victory over Hillary Clinton and said the … Continue reading Make America Retract Again: Physics group yanks release that quoted Trump, angered scientists

Analysis casts doubt on bone researcher’s body of work

A new analysis of more than 30 clinical trials co-authored by a bone researcher based in Japan is casting doubt on the legitimacy of the findings. Yoshihiro Sato, based at Mitate Hospital, has already retracted 12 papers, for reasons ranging from data problems, to including co-authors without their consent, to self-plagiarism. Most of these retracted papers are … Continue reading Analysis casts doubt on bone researcher’s body of work

We are judging individuals and institutions unfairly. Here’s what needs to change.

The way we rank individuals and institutions simply does not work, argues Yves Gingras, Canada Research Chair in the History and Sociology of Science, based at the University of Quebec in Montreal. He should know: In 1997, he cofounded the Observatoire des sciences et des technologies, which measures innovation in science and technology, and where he … Continue reading We are judging individuals and institutions unfairly. Here’s what needs to change.

Journal pulls plug on paper that predicts person’s death, against authors’ objections

Some people can look at an old photograph of a person — say, of your grandmother in elementary school — and tell whether the person is today alive or dead, according to a paper published last spring. If that sounds too weird to be true…well, it might be. The journal editors have retracted the paper for not having enough evidence to back … Continue reading Journal pulls plug on paper that predicts person’s death, against authors’ objections