Search Results for: sting

“We should err on the side of protecting people’s reputation:” Management journal changes policy to avoid fraud

How can academic journals ensure the integrity of the data they publish? For one journal, the key is looking deeply at statistics, which revealed crucial problems in the research of recent high-profile fraudsters such as Anil Potti. Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Management, Patrick Wright from the University of South Carolina, recently authored an editorial about how he’s … Continue reading “We should err on the side of protecting people’s reputation:” Management journal changes policy to avoid fraud

Broken windows, threats, and detention: Is whistleblowing worth it?

Several years ago, a UK academic living in Thailand for decades decided to expose the fact that a Thai official had plagiarized his PhD thesis. And he’s paid the price. Last year, Wyn Ellis was held in a Thai airport for five days, as officials claimed he was a “danger to Thai society.” As some new … Continue reading Broken windows, threats, and detention: Is whistleblowing worth it?

Is the bulk of fMRI data questionable?

Last week, a study brought into question years of research conducted using the neuroimaging technique functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The new paper, published in PNAS, particularly raised eyebrows for suggesting that the rates of false positives in studies using fMRI could be up to 70%, which may affect many of the approximately 40,000 studies in academic literature that have so … Continue reading Is the bulk of fMRI data questionable?

Weekend reads: Unscientific peer review; impact factor revolt; men love to cite themselves

The week at Retraction Watch featured a puzzle, and the retraction of a controversial study on fracking. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Authors retract study that found pollution near fracking sites

The authors of two environmental papers, including one about the effects of fracking on human health, have retracted them after discovering crucial mistakes. One of the studies reported an increased level of air pollution near gas extraction sites, and the other suggested that 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico contributed to air contamination. … Continue reading Authors retract study that found pollution near fracking sites

Did an author retract a paper at company’s behest? Retraction notice says yes, author now says no

The author of a paper whose retraction notice says it was pulled at the behest of a company now says that wasn’t the case. It’s a bit difficult to get this story straight: Although the retraction notice says a company complained the 2006 paper was “giving business inputs to their competitors,” the corresponding author told … Continue reading Did an author retract a paper at company’s behest? Retraction notice says yes, author now says no

One patient, two case reports: Journal retracts the latter

A journal has retracted a case report after discovering it had already been reported. The paper — about an “extremely rare” instance where a fetus was diagnosed with both a form of dwarfism and a chromosomal condition known as Klinefelter syndrome — was retracted from Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CROG). The first author of the paper told … Continue reading One patient, two case reports: Journal retracts the latter

Weekend reads: Publisher under fire; Canadian scientists demand change; a troubled psychiatry trial

The week at Retraction Watch featured an unwitting co-author and a painful example of doing the right thing. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Have 1 in 5 UK academics fabricated data?

A small survey of UK academics suggests misconduct such as faking data and plagiarism is occurring surprisingly often. The survey — of 215 UK academics — estimated that 1 in 7 had plagiarized from someone else’s work, and nearly 1 in 5 had fabricated data. Here’s how Joanna Williams and David Roberts at the University of Kent … Continue reading Have 1 in 5 UK academics fabricated data?

Unwitting co-author requests retraction of melatonin paper

Nine years ago, a well-known pharmacologist hosted a researcher from another university in his lab. On a Saturday night last September, he learned while surfing Google Scholar that they had published a paper together. Marco Cosentino, who works at the University of Insubria in Italy, know that Seema Rai, a zoologist at Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya in India, … Continue reading Unwitting co-author requests retraction of melatonin paper