Three more papers felled by suspected fake reviews

So far, we’ve counted more than 300 papers that have been retracted after editors suspected the peer-review process had been compromised — and we’re adding three more to the list. Editors of the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation became suspicious of the three papers after discovering similarities in reports from supposedly different reviewers. When they were unable … Continue reading Three more papers felled by suspected fake reviews

Fraudster’s colleague faked data, too

A week after announcing that a researcher formerly at the University of Chicago had faked the results of more than 70 experiments, the U.S. Office of Research Integrity announced yesterday that one of his colleagues also falsified data. According to the ORI, Karen D’Souza 

Heart researcher faked 70+ experiments, 100+ images

A former researcher at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago faked dozens of experiments and images over the course of six years, according to a new finding from the Office of Research Integrity (ORI). Ricky Malhotra, who studied heart cells, admitted to committing misconduct at both institutions, the ORI said in its … Continue reading Heart researcher faked 70+ experiments, 100+ images

Editors say they missed “fairly obvious clues” of third party tampering, publish fake peer reviews

The editors of a journal that recently retracted a paper after the peer-review process was “compromised” have published the fake reviews, along with additional details about the case. In the editorial titled “Organised crime against the academic peer review system,” Adam Cohen and other editors at the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology say they missed “several fairly obvious … Continue reading Editors say they missed “fairly obvious clues” of third party tampering, publish fake peer reviews

Paper linking fecal transplants to obesity in rats retracted for faked data

A paper linking the fecal microbiome to obesity has been retracted after it became clear that one of the co-authors faked some of the data. The 2014 paper in Diabetes — which found that rats given fecal transplants from obese mice were more likely to become obese themselves if given a particular diet — was pulled after after an institutional investigation found … Continue reading Paper linking fecal transplants to obesity in rats retracted for faked data

Seven papers flagged earlier for fake reviews now retracted by Elsevier

Elsevier has now retracted the seven papers it flagged in October as being affected by fake peer reviews. If you’re not keeping track, we are: We have logged a total of about 300 retractions for fake peer review, in which some aspect of the peer-review process becomes compromised — for instance, in the case of the … Continue reading Seven papers flagged earlier for fake reviews now retracted by Elsevier

8th retraction appears for researcher who faked patient records

An 8th paper has been retracted for Anna Ahimastos, a heart researcher who faked patient records. It’s the last in a chain of retractions that were the result of an investigation by her former workplace, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Australia. As with the others, she did not agree to the retraction. The investigation found fabricated patients records in … Continue reading 8th retraction appears for researcher who faked patient records

News site The Intercept says reporter created fake quotes, sources

The Intercept is apologizing to readers after an investigation revealed one of its reporters fabricated multiple quotes and even created a fake email address for a source to deceive his editors. The online news site is retracting and correcting several articles by former staff writer Juan Thompson, who was employed there from November 2014 until last … Continue reading News site The Intercept says reporter created fake quotes, sources

Eight retractions for fake reviews lead journal to suspend author nominations

An investigation has uncovered fake reviews on 21 papers submitted to the Journal of the Renin-Angiotensin Aldosterone System. After taking a second look at accepted papers with an author-nominated reviewer, the journal discovered that the listed reviewers on the 21 papers, though real people, had never submitted a report. Eight of the papers have been retracted by … Continue reading Eight retractions for fake reviews lead journal to suspend author nominations

In more faked peer review news…10 papers pulled by Hindawi

Guess what? We’ve got more cases of fraudulent peer review to report — our second post of the day on the subject, in fact. In the latest news, Hindawi Publishing Corporation has retracted 10 papers for “fraudulent review reports,” after an investigation of more than 30 papers that had been flagged this summer. The investigation found … Continue reading In more faked peer review news…10 papers pulled by Hindawi