Search Results for: sting

Researchers call for retraction of NEJM paper showing dangers of e-cigarettes

Researchers and advocates are calling for the retraction of a 2015 letter in the New England Journal of Medicine that suggested that e-cigarettes are as harmful – if not more than – traditional cigarettes. The NEJM paper reported that e-cigarettes expose smokers to significant amounts of formaldehyde, which the authors calculated could raise lifetime cancer … Continue reading Researchers call for retraction of NEJM paper showing dangers of e-cigarettes

Divorce study felled by a coding error gets a second chance

A journal has published a corrected version of a widely reported study linking severe illness and divorce rates after it was retracted in July due to a small coding error. The original, headline-spawning conclusion was that the risk of divorce in a heterosexual marriage increases when the wife falls ill, but not the husband. The revised results — published … Continue reading Divorce study felled by a coding error gets a second chance

How long does it take to retract a paper? A look at the Eric Poehlman record

In 2005, the U.S. Office of Research Integrity announced that obesity researcher Eric Poehlman had committed misconduct in 10 published papers. You might think that all of those ten articles would have been retracted a decade later. You’d be wrong. Only six of them have. Here’s what Elizabeth Wager (a member of the board of directors of The … Continue reading How long does it take to retract a paper? A look at the Eric Poehlman record

Whistleblower released after being held for 4 days in Bangkok airport

A UK academic who’s lived in Thailand for decades has just been released from the Bangkok airport where he had been held for four days, the apparent result of his years-ago decision to expose a Thai official who had plagiarized his PhD thesis. A university investigation several years ago eventually found that Wyn Ellis was, indeed, correct: … Continue reading Whistleblower released after being held for 4 days in Bangkok airport

Skin study retracted twice in triple publication rub

The Indian Journal of Dermatology has retracted a paper on the potential genetic markers of psoriasis that had already been retracted once for redundant publication. The journal is chalking it up to an “administrative error” that caused it to publish a paper that had already appeared in two other outlets. According to one of the … Continue reading Skin study retracted twice in triple publication rub

NSF investigation of high-profile plant retractions ends in two debarments

A nearly ten-year-long series of investigations into a pair of plant physiologists who received millions in funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation has resulted in debarments of less than two years for each of the researchers. The NSF Office of Inspector General recently posted its close-out report on its decision and a review of … Continue reading NSF investigation of high-profile plant retractions ends in two debarments

Retraction of grizzly bear-diabetes study follows departure of Amgen scientist for data manipulation

A study that looked to hibernating bears to understand the mechanisms behind diabetes has been retracted because an author based at the biotech company Amgen “manipulated specific experimental data” in two figures. According to the The Wall Street Journal, Amgen discovered the manipulation while reviewing the data following publication of the paper,”Grizzly bears exhibit augmented insulin sensitivity while obese prior to … Continue reading Retraction of grizzly bear-diabetes study follows departure of Amgen scientist for data manipulation

Authors’ pharma ties cause Cochrane to withdraw two diabetes reviews

The Cochrane Library has withdrawn two reviews evaluating the effectiveness of diabetes treatments because some of the papers’ authors work with pharmaceutical companies. Bianca Hemmingsen, first author on both reviews, told us the Cochrane Library asked the authors to remove the researchers with ties to pharma, but after one “refused to withdraw,” both papers were … Continue reading Authors’ pharma ties cause Cochrane to withdraw two diabetes reviews

Updated: Author resigns from West Point following paper legitimizing attacks on scholars who question terror tactics

[Note: This post has been updated with new information about the author’s resignation.] Following criticisms of a 2015 paper which proposed attacks on scholars who question the government’s handling of the war on terror, the author has resigned from his post at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. The nearly 200-page paper, “Trahison … Continue reading Updated: Author resigns from West Point following paper legitimizing attacks on scholars who question terror tactics

Weekend reads: Ghost authors proliferate; science goes to the movies; pricey grant fraud

The week at Retraction Watch featured the results of a massive replication study, yet another retraction for Diederik Stapel, and a messy situation at PLOS. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: