Search Results for: author ban

Five more retractions for biologist with funding ban brings total to six

An erstwhile cell biologist has retracted five papers published in the Journal of Cell Science (JCS), all of which had been flagged in a recent investigation by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI). The investigation found John Pastorino, previously a cell biologist at Rowan University in New Jersey, guilty of doctoring more than 40 … Continue reading Five more retractions for biologist with funding ban brings total to six

1st retraction for biologist who doctored 40+ images, received funding ban

The Journal of Biological Chemistry has retracted a paper that was one of eight flagged in a recent investigation by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI). The investigation — which concluded that a biologist had falsified or fabricated more than 40 images — resulted in a five-year funding ban.  In May, the ORI announced that John Pastorino, an erstwhile cell … Continue reading 1st retraction for biologist who doctored 40+ images, received funding ban

Pharmacology journal pulls paper for “insufficient scientific quality;” authors disagree

Against the authors’ wishes, a pharmacology journal has retracted a paper after receiving two messages questioning the “soundness of the experimental results.” The editors of the journal, Frontiers in Pharmacology, issued an expression of concern about the paper in April 2016, and investigated it following the allegations. According to the retraction notice, the authors disagree with the retraction. Here’s the … Continue reading Pharmacology journal pulls paper for “insufficient scientific quality;” authors disagree

Authors reused images in three papers, concludes journal probe

Biologists are retracting three papers after the journal concluded they contain reused images, designed to represent different experiments. The authors stand by the conclusions, some of which they say have been “extensively validated.” The Journal of Biological Chemistry used image analysis software to evaluate the images, first published at least a decade ago. Unfortunately, the raw … Continue reading Authors reused images in three papers, concludes journal probe

Software glitch — not intentional manipulation — sunk immunology paper, says author

New evidence suggests a retracted paper was felled not by intentional manipulation — as it first appeared — but by a software glitch. In 2014, we reported that Biochemical Journal had retracted a paper on suspicion it contained “shoddy Photoshopping”  — someone appeared to have blacked out a control lane in one figure. Now there’s evidence … Continue reading Software glitch — not intentional manipulation — sunk immunology paper, says author

Authors correct highly cited biology paper due to “genuine mistake”

Authors of a highly cited biology paper in the Journal of Cell Science (JCS) have corrected the data underlying one of the figures. The 2003 paper, “The transcription factor Slug represses E-cadherin expression and induces epithelial to mesenchymal transitions: a comparison with Snail and E47 repressors,” has been cited 566 times, according to Thomson Reuters Web … Continue reading Authors correct highly cited biology paper due to “genuine mistake”

How did two papers on same gene with different authors, publishers, end up with identical retraction notices?

Here’s an interesting case: We’ve found two retracted papers that describe the same gene, and both have nearly identical retraction notices. What’s unusual is that the two papers don’t have any authors in common, and appeared in two different journals published by two different companies. The cause of both papers’ demise: Plagiarism, and use of unpublished data … Continue reading How did two papers on same gene with different authors, publishers, end up with identical retraction notices?

Authors pull 14-year-old paper from PNAS over concerns of fabrication

Authors have retracted a 2002 paper from PNAS because part of a figure “may have been fabricated,” and they no longer have the original data to prove otherwise. The paper in question, “Deficient Smad7 expression: A putative molecular defect in scleroderma,” studied the signaling pathways that may underlie the autoimmune disease. It has been cited 198 times, according … Continue reading Authors pull 14-year-old paper from PNAS over concerns of fabrication

Mystery conflict between authors fells molecular bio paper

A journal has pulled a paper about tools to knock out a key transcription factor because of a conflict between the authors. The retracted article is “Generation of Knock down Tools for Transcription Factor 7-like-2 (TCF7L2) and Evaluation of its Expression Pattern in Developing Chicken Optic Tectum,” published just last year in MicroRNA. We’ll get right to … Continue reading Mystery conflict between authors fells molecular bio paper

Upon discovering several errors, authors retract gastric cancer paper

After finding several errors in their paper about the molecular activity underlying gastric cancer, the authors unanimously decided to retract it. According to the retraction note, three figures in the paper had β‑actin bands that were omitted, interchanged, or both. The retraction note provides the details: