Weekend reads: Another vaccine-autism retraction; ‘Why We Commit Academic Fraud’; on a psilocybin-depression correction

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? The week at Retraction Watch featured: Our list of retracted or withdrawn COVID-19 papers is up past 400. There are nearly 49,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which is now part of Crossref. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains more than 250 titles. And have you … Continue reading Weekend reads: Another vaccine-autism retraction; ‘Why We Commit Academic Fraud’; on a psilocybin-depression correction

Pharmaceutical researcher faked data in two papers, says federal watchdog

A former professor and vice provost for research at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York, falsified data in two published papers, according to findings from the U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI). Shaker Mousa, who was also chairman and executive vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute at Albany, already … Continue reading Pharmaceutical researcher faked data in two papers, says federal watchdog

Caught by a reviewer: A plagiarizing deep learning paper lingers

Last May, Devrim Çavuşoğlu, an engineer at Turkish software company OBSS, was looking at feedback from a conference reviewer of a paper he and his colleagues had submitted. One comment stood out to him: The reviewer had noticed a resemblance between Çavuşoğlu’s work and another paper accepted to a different conference on computational linguistics.  When … Continue reading Caught by a reviewer: A plagiarizing deep learning paper lingers

‘Lab shenanigans’: TikTok influencer faked data, feds say

A well-known content creator and former lab technician at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas admitted taking “several shortcuts” in work that has been found to contain falsified data funded by the National Institutes of Health, according to a U.S. government watchdog. Darrion Nguyen, who has more than a half-million followers on his TikTok account … Continue reading ‘Lab shenanigans’: TikTok influencer faked data, feds say

Journal taking ‘corrective actions’ after learning author used ChatGPT to update references

An interdisciplinary journal says it will take “corrective actions” on a paper following a thorough investigation on a paper for which one author used ChatGPT to update the references.   Krithika Srinivasan, an editor of Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space and a geographer at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, confirmed to Retraction Watch … Continue reading Journal taking ‘corrective actions’ after learning author used ChatGPT to update references

Nature earns ire over lack of code availability for Google DeepMind protein folding paper

A group of researchers is taking Nature to task for publishing a paper earlier this month about Google DeepMind’s protein folding prediction program without requiring the authors publish the code behind the work. Roland Dunbrack, of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, peer-reviewed the paper but was “not given access to code during the review,” … Continue reading Nature earns ire over lack of code availability for Google DeepMind protein folding paper

Concussion researcher McCrory up to 17 retractions

More than two years after retracting an article by one of its former editors in chief for plagiarism, the British Journal of Sports Medicine has retracted six more pieces by the editor, Paul McCrory, a noted concussion researcher in Australia. The retractions join 11 more of McCrory’s works, including 10 from BJSM and one from … Continue reading Concussion researcher McCrory up to 17 retractions

Dean in Indonesia resigns following Retraction Watch report

Kumba Digdowiseiso, the dean of the economics and business faculty at Universitas Nasional in Jakarta, Indonesia, resigned on Thursday after a firestorm of criticism over the past week. The move, reported widely in the Indonesian media, came eight days after Retraction Watch reported that researchers at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu alleged that Digdowiseiso had added dozens … Continue reading Dean in Indonesia resigns following Retraction Watch report

Publisher flags papers found by university to involve misconduct more than a year ago

Toxicologic Pathology – a Sage title – has issued expressions of concern for six papers that were among the subjects of an investigation by Azabu University that concluded in November 2022. The expression of concern, dated March 7, 2024, includes a list of the six articles and reads:

Exclusive: ‘Bust Size and Hitchhiking’ author to earn four more expressions of concern

The journal Social Influence will be issuing expressions of concern for four papers by Nicolas Guéguen, a marketing researcher whose work has long been dogged by allegations, Retraction Watch has learned.  Guéguen has to date has lost at least three papers to retraction, and has received many more expressions of concern, for his questionable studies. … Continue reading Exclusive: ‘Bust Size and Hitchhiking’ author to earn four more expressions of concern