Search Results for: sting

Editor on retraction details: “I do not think this is the business of anyone but our journal, please”

Whose business are the reasons behind a retraction? Our readers will no doubt know by now that we think they’re basically everyone’s — at least if journals want us to believe that they’re interested in maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. But not all editors seem to agree. Hank Edmunds, for example, didn’t in … Continue reading Editor on retraction details: “I do not think this is the business of anyone but our journal, please”

Environmental scientists call for retraction of oil industry-funded paper on benzene exposure

A paper suggesting that scientists may want to rethink what levels of benzene are carcinogenic has led to a sharp exchange in the journal that originally published it. In 2006, Stephen Rappaport, of UNC-Chapel Hill, and colleagues, published a paper that began by saying that benzene is an important industrial chemical that is also emitted … Continue reading Environmental scientists call for retraction of oil industry-funded paper on benzene exposure

Plagiarism spat over scientific poster prep advice escalates to legal threats

Colin Purrington has developed something of a niche in the research world. While teaching evolutionary biology at Swarthmore College, Purrington began developing a how-to manual for putting together poster presentations for meetings — a pursuit that has earned him a little money and some attention. The result is a website, Designing conference posters, that, by … Continue reading Plagiarism spat over scientific poster prep advice escalates to legal threats

Frequent Retraction Watch fliers rack them up: Stapel hits 51, Lichtenthaler scores number 9

Quick updates on work by two people whose names appear frequently on Retraction Watch: Diederik Stapel and Ulrich Lichtenthaler. Last month, we reported on the 50th retraction for Stapel. Here’s number 51 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, for “The flexible unconscious: Investigating the judgmental impact of varieties of unaware perception:”

Kenji Okajima retraction count grows to five

We’ve been following the case of Kenji Okajima, a professor at Nagoya City University in Japan who was suspended for six months following an investigation into work in his lab. Bits of the story — including at least one other university investigation, and scrutiny of Okajima’s colleagues, one of whom was fired — have been … Continue reading Kenji Okajima retraction count grows to five

Is defining plagiarism “like catching smoke in a butterfly net?” Towson professor under investigation

Earlier this month, we brought you the story of a paper in a journal about business ethics being retracted for — wait for it — plagiarism. The paper that seemed to be the one in question — see the post for why that was a bit unclear — was by Benjamin A. Neil, a professor … Continue reading Is defining plagiarism “like catching smoke in a butterfly net?” Towson professor under investigation

Geneticists take HeLa sequence off-line after Lacks family notes they hadn’t given consent

HeLa — the cell line that has apparently taken over any number of others commonly used in science, suggesting that many researchers may not have been studying what they thought they were studying — is back in the news. This weekend, it was the DNA sequence of the cells that’s made headlines, with a quiet … Continue reading Geneticists take HeLa sequence off-line after Lacks family notes they hadn’t given consent

Cardiologist accused of misconduct strikes back in a journal

Retraction Watch readers may recall the case of Don Poldermans, a prominent Dutch cardiology researcher who left a research position in late 2011 amid an investigation into his work. In a letter in the American Journal of Medicine titled “Scientific Fraud or a Rush to Judgement?” Poldermans — three of whose papers are subject to … Continue reading Cardiologist accused of misconduct strikes back in a journal

Lance Armstrong in the scientific literature: A “reconsideration”

In January, as Lance Armstrong was performing the 21st century version of a confessional — appearing on Oprah — we wrote about a 2005 paper in the Journal of Applied Physiology about a “bicyclist who has now become the six-time consecutive Grand Champion of the Tour de France.” That paper was, of course, about Armstrong, … Continue reading Lance Armstrong in the scientific literature: A “reconsideration”

Could the sequester mean more business for Retraction Watch?

Consider this a bit of a thought experiment, but hear us out. The National Institutes of Health earlier this month notified the scientists it funds that, thanks to the sequester, many may soon face cuts in those grants as the agency tries to deal with a reduction in its $30.9 billion budget. In her March … Continue reading Could the sequester mean more business for Retraction Watch?