Search Results for: sting

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”

Slate retracts essay on whether doctors are biased against obese people

Slate has retracted an essay they published as part of a partnership with Quora, an online question-and-answer site, after acknowledging that they “did not vet the piece properly.” The piece garnered hundreds of comments, many of which questioned whether its claims were legit, and some of which pointed out that the author may have posted … Continue reading Slate retracts essay on whether doctors are biased against obese people

“Breach of warranties” leads to retraction of literacy paper

You’d have to be fairly literate to understand the phrase “breach of warranties,” so it’s a good thing it appears in a retraction notice for paper on literacy itself. The 2012 article, “Information Literacy in Croatia: An Ideological Approach,” appeared in the Journal of Language, Identity & Education, a Taylor & Francis title. The authors … Continue reading “Breach of warranties” leads to retraction of literacy paper

Melendez Science paper retracted, making 13

Alirio Melendez, who has already had 12 papers retracted from various journals and been found guilty of scientific misconduct by a former employer, has had a Science paper retracted. Here’s the notice (which is behind a paywall):

Virtual reality researcher notches fifth retraction

A researcher who studies the use of virtual reality and other media and who has already had four retractions has retracted another paper. The 2007 paper by Dong Hee Shin, then of Penn State University, appeared in Technological Forecasting and Social Change and was titled “Potential user factors driving adoption of IPTV. What are customers … Continue reading Virtual reality researcher notches fifth retraction

“Administrative error on the part of the author” that led to duplicated text prompts retraction

When you think of an administrative error, what comes to mind? Failure to tell an employee that the reason he didn’t receive a paycheck in July was because he was fired in June? Putting the wrong address on your business cards? You’d probably have to go pretty far down the list before you reached something … Continue reading “Administrative error on the part of the author” that led to duplicated text prompts retraction