Try as we may, we can’t cover every retraction in real time. But on the principle that late is better than later, here’s one from 2012 that we’ve been meaning to get to. The journal NeuroReport has retracted a 2011 article by a group of researchers who evidently discovered a fatal flaw in one of … Continue reading “Major error” forces retraction of ghrelin study
We’ve often found that when some authors refuse to sign retraction notices, there’s a much bigger story than terse notices let on. And a retraction in this week’s Nature of a 19-year-old paper is a shining example of that. Here’s the brief notice for “Oligosaccharide ligands for NKR-P1 protein activate NK cells and cytotoxicity,” a … Continue reading Retraction of 19-year-old Nature paper reveals hidden cameras, lab break-in, evidence tampering
The Indian Journal of Surgery, a Springer-Verlag title, has retracted a 2011 paper with a title only the Marquis de Sade would love: “Penile Strangulation by Metallic Rings.” We know what you’re saying: Who knew penises could be strangulated? Well, it’s true.
Leukemia & Lymphoma has retracted 2004 paper by a group of authors in Mexico after concluding that, well, the article never should have been accepted to begin with. The article, “Adjuvant radiotherapy in stage IV diffuse large cell lymphoma improves outcome,” came from oncologists at the National Medical Center. Its abstract (still available on Medline) … Continue reading Lacking “scientific and analytical rigor,” 8-year-old lymphoma paper falls to retraction
A cancer researcher whose work was the subject of a lawsuit has retracted his fifth paper, this one from 2004. Robert Getzenberg, formerly of the University of Pittsburgh and Johns Hopkins, has had two papers on prostate cancer biomarkers retracted, and two on colon cancer. The newly retracted paper is about a potential bladder cancer … Continue reading A fifth retraction for former Pitt and Hopkins oncology researcher Getzenberg
In what could be a significant blow to a major pharmaceutical company, Nature Medicine is reportedly set to retract a 2010 article by a group of researchers affiliated with a Chinese arm of the drug giant GlaxoSmithKline. We’re not the first to report the news — you can read coverage of it on In the … Continue reading Glaxo asks Nature Medicine to retract paper by fired company scientist
It’s not quite the Lazlo Letters of behavioral science, but the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences has issued an expression of concern after discovering that it had been publishing letters that had been published in other journals. Here’s how the notice describes the matter:
Here at Retraction Watch, we like to dig for what lies behind sometimes opaque retraction notices. But today, thanks to Neil Martin, we have a glimpse into something a bit different: The back-and-forth between an author and his editor. In Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Peter Reiner, of the University of British Columbia, wrote a comment on … Continue reading And the award for the most self-referential abstract ever goes to…
We here at Retraction Watch HQ are always on the lookout for euphemisms for plagiarism (and other misconduct, of course). Among our favorites are “referencing failure” and the journal that allowed researchers to call plagiarism an “approach” to writing. Here’s a new one that’s sure to do well with voters. The journal Rejuvenation Research has … Continue reading Retraction cites “unintended excessive reuse” in commentary — of paper it was praising
The American Heart Association (AHA) is retracting five studies by Hiroaki Matsubara, a former Kyoto Prefectural University cardiology researcher, that it had subjected to an expression of concern last year. Here’s the notice: