RIKEN inquiry prompted by STAP stem cell controversy generates three corrections

A review of past publications by the Japanese research institution RIKEN has produced three corrections of articles by a molecular geneticist, Haruhiko Koseki, The Scientist is reporting. The articles had appeared in Molecular and Cellular Biology between 2005 and 2010. The review was triggered by the scandal involving Haruko Obokata, a former RIKEN scientist whose … Continue reading RIKEN inquiry prompted by STAP stem cell controversy generates three corrections

Unusual: HIV vaccine researcher who faked data arrested, faces felony charges

Dong Pyou-Han, a former researcher at Iowa State University who spiked rabbit blood samples to make it look as though a potential HIV vaccine was working, was arrested earlier this week on felony charges. According to the Des Moines Register:

Journal retracts stem cell study despite objections of most authors

The journal Blood has retracted a 2010 paper over the objections of most of its authors, two of whom were found by their university to have used “fraudulent methods” to obtain the data. We first reported on the case of Gerold Feuer last fall. The State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical Center in … Continue reading Journal retracts stem cell study despite objections of most authors

“Barriers to retraction may impede correction of the literature:” New study

One of the complaints we often hear about the self-correcting nature of science is that authors and editors seem very reluctant to retract papers with obvious fatal flaws. Indeed, it seems fairly clear that the number of papers retracted is smaller than the number of those that should be. To try to get a sense … Continue reading “Barriers to retraction may impede correction of the literature:” New study

Weekend reads: MERS case report clash, criticizing others’ work in public

Another busy week at Retraction Watch, which kicked off with an introduction to our first-ever intern. This coming week, Ivan will be in Zwettl, Lower Austria, speaking at the Vienna Biocenter PhD retreat, and in London, speaking at the UK Conference of Science Journalists. Here’s what’s been happening elsewhere:

Weekend reads: “The best scientist in jail story since Galileo,” replication is “charming and naive”

Another busy week at Retraction Watch. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Journal retracts letter accusing physicist of using fake names to criticize papers

From the world of physics, we have a retraction involving rivalry and alleged sock puppetry. The Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology has removed a letter from its website after a scientist complained that it was making unproven allegations against him. It’s a head-scratching case. The letter, from Lorenzo Iorio, first appeared … Continue reading Journal retracts letter accusing physicist of using fake names to criticize papers

“I never manipulated data”: Förster defends actions in open letter

Jens Förster, the Dutch social psychologist accused of misconduct, has posted an open letter on his lab’s website in which he denies wrongdoing. The letter, in English and dated May 11, offers a detailed rebuttal to the investigation’s conclusions. It also offers a rationale for Förster’s decision not to post his data on the Internet. … Continue reading “I never manipulated data”: Förster defends actions in open letter

Weekend reads: Shocking suicide statistics, scientists say they’re over-regulated, the real @FakeElsevier

Another busy week at Retraction Watch. Here’s what was happening elsewhere on the web:

Förster report cites “unavoidable” conclusion of data manipulation

Last week we wrote about the 2012 complaint that triggered the investigation into Jens Förster, the social psychologist at the University of Amsterdam whose work has come under scrutiny for possible fraud. Now we have the findings of the official investigation by Landelijk Orgaan Wetenschappelijke Integriteit (the Dutch National Board for Scientific Integrity, often referred … Continue reading Förster report cites “unavoidable” conclusion of data manipulation