Search Results for: sting

Are US behavioral science researchers more likely to exaggerate their results?

When Retraction Watch readers think of problematic psychology research, their minds might naturally turn to Diederik Stapel, who now has 54 retractions under his belt. Dirk Smeesters might also tickle the neurons. But a look at our psychology category shows that psychology retractions are an international phenomenon. (Remember Marc Hauser?) And a new paper in … Continue reading Are US behavioral science researchers more likely to exaggerate their results?

Author with six recent corrections retracts JBC paper questioned on PubPeer

Rakesh Kumar, a professor at the George Washington University, has retracted a paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) that was recently questioned on PubPeer. Here are Peer1’s comments from PubPeer about the paper, “Mechanism of MTA1 Protein Overexpression-linked Invasion:”

Journal to feature special issue on scientific misconduct, seeks submissions

It would be difficult to read the recent scientific literature on retractions and miss Grant Steen’s contributions. Retraction Watch readers are no doubt familiar with his work by this point, and if they’re not, we’d recommend spending some time with it. The journal Publications — an MDPI title — has asked him to guest-edit a … Continue reading Journal to feature special issue on scientific misconduct, seeks submissions

Dental journal gives plenty to chew on in retraction of resin paper

The Journal of Prosthodontics has retracted a 2006 paper by a pair of Saudi researchers and given them a pass because of an alleged lack of grasp of English — and, we’d add, publishing ethics. The article, titled “Effect of Chemical Disinfectants and Repair Materials on the Transverse Strength of Repaired Heat-Polymerized Acrylic Resin,” was … Continue reading Dental journal gives plenty to chew on in retraction of resin paper

Ask Retraction Watch: Is this plagiarism?

With this post, we’re going to try a new feature: Ask Retraction Watch. What we really mean by that is ask Retraction Watch’s readers, who time and time again have shared their expertise and made us smarter. So if you have questions you’d like posed in this space, find our contact info here. Here goes. … Continue reading Ask Retraction Watch: Is this plagiarism?

A real shame: Psychology paper retracted when data behind problematic findings disappear

The corresponding author of a paper on whether “a sense of shame heightens the desire for money” has retracted it, he claims, after being unable to repeat his analysis to try to fix an issue in the study. Here’s the notice for “Shame for money: Shame enhances the incentive value of economic resources,” which appeared … Continue reading A real shame: Psychology paper retracted when data behind problematic findings disappear

Thorax retracts cystic fibrosis paper with bogus data

A group of European researchers is retracting their 2012 paper in Thorax on the link between cystic fibrosis and the common cold after discovering that the first author, a promising young microbiologist in Switzerland, had made up her data. The article, titled “Impaired type I and type III interferon induction and rhinovirus control in human … Continue reading Thorax retracts cystic fibrosis paper with bogus data

Aussie university halts trials of skin cancer drug whose developer has four retractions

An Australian university has put a hold on trials of an experimental drug for skin cancer whose main developer has been dogged by charges of research misconduct for several years. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is reporting that the University of New South Wales has suspended trials of the drug, DZ13, while it investigates the work … Continue reading Aussie university halts trials of skin cancer drug whose developer has four retractions

Insert data here … Did researcher instruct co-author to make up results for chemistry paper?

The chemistry blogs have been buzzing this week with the story of a paper in the journal Organometallics that may — or may not — contain fabricated data. But what makes the story a bit juicier — and yes, it’s sad that fabricated data is a bit ho-hum for us — is that one of … Continue reading Insert data here … Did researcher instruct co-author to make up results for chemistry paper?

That’s not plagiarism, it’s an “administrative error”

Our list of ways that authors and editors find to dance around writing the word “plagiarism” seems to grow longer by the week. Today, we can add “administrative error” to that collection of euphemisms, thanks to authors from South Africa and the editors of an education journal. Here’s the notice for “Development studies students as … Continue reading That’s not plagiarism, it’s an “administrative error”