Research assistant fired for using student’s thesis in a paper

A research assistant at King Saud University (KSU) has lost his job after he used material from a student’s thesis without permission or attribution in a paper. Lakshmana Krishnappa was terminated after a disciplinary committee considered his case last November, the vice dean for postgraduate training and research at KSU told Retraction Watch. In April of last year, … Continue reading Research assistant fired for using student’s thesis in a paper

Does posting on PubPeer count as prior publication? Journal says yes, rejects letter rebutting campus sexual assault data

Journals typically shy away from publishing data and text readers have seen before — but amidst the newly established norms of open science and data sharing, what counts as a prior publication? We’re asking ourselves that question after learning that JAMA Pediatrics has rejected a letter rebutting a recent study in the journal about sexual assault on college campuses after deciding that … Continue reading Does posting on PubPeer count as prior publication? Journal says yes, rejects letter rebutting campus sexual assault data

Authors correct highly cited biology paper due to “genuine mistake”

Authors of a highly cited biology paper in the Journal of Cell Science (JCS) have corrected the data underlying one of the figures. The 2003 paper, “The transcription factor Slug represses E-cadherin expression and induces epithelial to mesenchymal transitions: a comparison with Snail and E47 repressors,” has been cited 566 times, according to Thomson Reuters Web … Continue reading Authors correct highly cited biology paper due to “genuine mistake”

Weekend reads: Peer review, troubled from the start; how to survive as a whistle-blower

The week at Retraction Watch featured news that one in 25 papers in a massive screen includes inappropriate image manipulation, and of the eighth and ninth retractions for a neuroscience team. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Raw files help fix 2003 figure by heart researcher accused of fraud

A researcher accused of misconduct by an anonymous Japanese blogger has corrected a 2003 paper in Circulation Research, after providing a university investigation with the original source files. Allegations of fraud have dogged Shokei Kim-Mitsuyama for years, and even caused him to step down from his position as editor in chief at another journal. However, Kim-Mitsuyama and his … Continue reading Raw files help fix 2003 figure by heart researcher accused of fraud

Authors retract, replace highly cited JAMA Psych paper for “pervasive errors”

Authors have retracted a highly cited JAMA Psychiatry study about depression after failing to account for some patient recoveries, among other mistakes. It’s a somewhat unusual notice — it explains that the paper has been retracted and replaced with a new, corrected version. The study, which included 452 adults with major depressive disorder, concluded that cognitive therapy … Continue reading Authors retract, replace highly cited JAMA Psych paper for “pervasive errors”

Journals retract two heart papers with “nearly identical” abstracts

Journals have retracted two papers after realizing that they contain “nearly identical” abstracts and introductions, published only months apart.  The two retracted papers, along with a third that also contains similar text, all conclude that a certain polymorphism could signal a risk for coronary artery disease among Chinese people, though each paper presents different data. … Continue reading Journals retract two heart papers with “nearly identical” abstracts

Singapore investigation leads to another retraction, correction for Harvard research fellow

After an investigation found evidence of misconduct, a biologist has issued a third retraction. Sudarsanareddy Lokireddy — now a research fellow at Harvard Medical School — “admitted falsification,” a Research Integrity Officer at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore told us in December. According to The Scientist, another journal has also published a correction that the authors had requested earlier. … Continue reading Singapore investigation leads to another retraction, correction for Harvard research fellow

NEJM quickly corrects disclosure statement, errors in diabetes paper

After publishing a paper about neuropathy in diabetic patients last week, The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) immediately corrected it after editors learned of errors and some missing disclosures within the article. The notice explains that the sole author of the paper, “Diabetic Sensory and Motor Neuropathy,” reported incorrect doses for several medications, and … Continue reading NEJM quickly corrects disclosure statement, errors in diabetes paper

How did two papers on same gene with different authors, publishers, end up with identical retraction notices?

Here’s an interesting case: We’ve found two retracted papers that describe the same gene, and both have nearly identical retraction notices. What’s unusual is that the two papers don’t have any authors in common, and appeared in two different journals published by two different companies. The cause of both papers’ demise: Plagiarism, and use of unpublished data … Continue reading How did two papers on same gene with different authors, publishers, end up with identical retraction notices?