Search Results for: study 329

Leiden University fires employee for research fraud, two retractions to follow

A researcher at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands has been fired for research fraud, and the university is retracting two papers, the Dutch press is reporting. But don’t ask us who the employee was. That information is conspicuously absent from the medical center’s communications on the subject. Here’s a press release from Leiden, … Continue reading Leiden University fires employee for research fraud, two retractions to follow

A masterbatch: More polymer retractions, gerontology journal lifts paywall, Microbiology notices appear

Our mothers told us that if we used the masterbatch process, we’d go blind. And what better way to gather some updates to recent posts than to include one that involves said masterbatch process? First, a retraction John Spevacek noticed when he tried clicking on the link in a Journal of Applied Polymer Science retraction we’d … Continue reading A masterbatch: More polymer retractions, gerontology journal lifts paywall, Microbiology notices appear

One in twelve Belgian medical scientists admits having “made up and/or massaged data”: Survey

A recently released survey of Belgian scientists suggests that Flemish medical researchers admit to having made up or massaged data more often than their counterparts around their world. The survey, by the Dutch science magazine Eos with the help of Joeri Tijdink, of VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, and the Pascal Decroos Fund for … Continue reading One in twelve Belgian medical scientists admits having “made up and/or massaged data”: Survey

A pair of expressions of concern in PLOS ONE over vet science papers

PLoS ONE has issued two Expressions of Concern on unrelated studies, each of which offers plenty to be concerned about — and not just about the research itself. One is a casualty of our old friend,  Jesús Lemus, the Spanish veterinary scientist accused of fabricating his data. The article, titled “The PHA-Skin Test Reflects Acquired … Continue reading A pair of expressions of concern in PLOS ONE over vet science papers

Is post-hoc statistical analysis the new fraud detection tool? A new review looks at fraudster Reuben’s work

In the beginning, there was Scott Reuben. Well, not quite. Reuben, a Massachusetts anesthesiologist who fabricated data and briefly topped our list of most-retracted authors, didn’t invent research fraud, although he did spend six months in federal prison for his crimes. But his case was in no small measure responsible for the birth of this … Continue reading Is post-hoc statistical analysis the new fraud detection tool? A new review looks at fraudster Reuben’s work

Progressive: How the Cochrane Library handles updates-in-progress

Over the summer, while searching for some studies and evidence for various treatments, my wife, a television writer and producer, noticed something she thought unusual enough to flag for me. The titles of a number of Cochrane Library reviews started with “WITHDRAWN.” The Cochrane Library is the world’s leading publisher of systematic reviews, which gather … Continue reading Progressive: How the Cochrane Library handles updates-in-progress