Search Results for: sting

Unkosher reuse of data forces retraction of minced pork paper

The journal Food Microbiology has pulled a 2012 paper on pork processing which, as we reported earlier, contained salami-sliced data. The article, “Bayesian inference for quantifying Listeria monocytogenes prevalence and concentration in minced pork meat from presence/absence microbiological testing,” came from a group at the Department of Food Science and Technology at the Agricultural University … Continue reading Unkosher reuse of data forces retraction of minced pork paper

University finds Dutch economist guilty of misconduct; he responds

The Free University of Amsterdam found Peter Nijkamp, one of the nation’s leading economists who has lost several papers for self-plagiarism, has been found guilty of “questionable research practices,” according to the newly released results of an investigation. Nijkamp has published a strongly worded criticism of the report (at least according to Google Translate, since his … Continue reading University finds Dutch economist guilty of misconduct; he responds

“Irreconcilable difference of opinion” divides math preprint

A fight over a paper posted on preprint server arXiv.org has divided two mathematicians. The authors initially posted the paper, which looks at the mathematical properties of spheres, in 2013. And that’s when the trouble started. Apparently, after submitting the paper to a journal and receiving reviewer feedback, co-authors Fabio Tal at the University of … Continue reading “Irreconcilable difference of opinion” divides math preprint

Yes, we are seeing more attacks on academic freedom: guest post by historian of science and medicine

We’re pleased to introduce readers to Alice Dreger, a historian of science and medicine at the Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program in Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her new book is “Galileo’s Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science,” out this week from Penguin Press. Read to the end for … Continue reading Yes, we are seeing more attacks on academic freedom: guest post by historian of science and medicine

Misconduct dissolves paper on possible clot-busters

Drug researchers in India have lost their 2013 paper in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters because the first author fabricated findings. The article, by a group from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, in Gujarat, was attempting to synthesize and screen novel clot-busting drugs; one compound exhibited the same activity as aspirin or warfarin, but … Continue reading Misconduct dissolves paper on possible clot-busters

Weekend reads: Reviewer comments unmasked, the problem with top journal editors, originality an illusion?

The week at Retraction Watch featured a number of legal cases by scientists trying to suppress criticism about their work. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Psychology retractions have quadrupled since 1989: study

Marc Hauser. Dirk Smeesters. Diederik Stapel. Psychology has been home to some of the most infamous cases of fraud in recent years, and while it’s just a few bad apples who are spoiling the bunch, the field itself has seen an overall increase in retractions, according to a new paper by Jürgen Margraf appearing in Psychologische Rundschau and titled “Zur … Continue reading Psychology retractions have quadrupled since 1989: study

Diabetes researcher won’t give up court fight to quash expressions of concern

Apparently, you can’t keep Mario Saad down. The researcher, who had 12 figures in a paper corrected this week, was dealt a setback last week when a judge denied his motion to remove expressions of concern on four of his papers in the journal Diabetes, saying that would have amounted to prior restraint — essentially, censorship … Continue reading Diabetes researcher won’t give up court fight to quash expressions of concern

Weekend reads: P values banned, climate skeptic fails to disclose corporate funding, editors behaving badly

This week at Retraction Watch featured a change of heart by a journal, and a look at Nature’s addition of double-blind peer review. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Neuro journal pulls comatose brain abstract due to “several mistakes”

Swiss researchers have retracted an abstract in Clinical Neurophysiology because only one of them actually knew about the paper — and what he submitted had “several mistakes.” The abstract, about electric impulses in the brain of comatose patients, originally appeared as a poster at the June 2014 joint meeting of multiple Swiss neuroscience societies. It was submitted by first author Alexandre … Continue reading Neuro journal pulls comatose brain abstract due to “several mistakes”