Search Results for: randomized

Columbia investigation reveals researcher faked data — and a degree

A researcher faked data and a masters degree, according to an investigation by Columbia University. He’s also earned his fourth retraction. The new notice, along with one we’ve uncovered from 2014, provide some information on the extent of the deception of Robert Frumento, who left Columbia a decade ago, around the time that the now-retracted papers were published. Here’s … Continue reading Columbia investigation reveals researcher faked data — and a degree

“All co-authors are honorary:” Team earns fifth retraction

A team of researchers from Japan has earned a fifth retraction, after co-authors told the journal that they did not participate in much of the paper. Yoshihiro Sato, listed at Mitate Hospital, is the only author of the paper who was not “honorary,” the managing editor of the journal confirmed. He and the same co-authors recently lost three other … Continue reading “All co-authors are honorary:” Team earns fifth retraction

JAMA journals pull 3 papers by same authors for misconduct

JAMA and another journal in its network have retracted three 2005 papers about preventing hip fractures, after an admission of scientific misconduct.  All papers are being retracted over concerns about data integrity, and “inappropriate assignment of authorship.” Four of the authors — all based in Japan — have co-authored all of the three newly retracted … Continue reading JAMA journals pull 3 papers by same authors for misconduct

Do interventions to reduce misconduct actually work? Maybe not, says new report

Can we teach good behavior in the lab? That’s the premise behind a number of interventions aimed at improving research integrity, invested in by universities across the world and even private companies. Trouble is, a new review from the Cochrane Library shows that there is little good evidence to show these interventions work. We spoke … Continue reading Do interventions to reduce misconduct actually work? Maybe not, says new report

“Evidence-based medicine has been hijacked:” A confession from John Ioannidis

John Ioannidis is perhaps best known for a 2005 paper “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False.” One of the most highly cited researchers in the world, Ioannidis, a professor at Stanford, has built a career in the field of meta-research. Earlier this month, he published a heartfelt and provocative essay in the the Journal … Continue reading “Evidence-based medicine has been hijacked:” A confession from John Ioannidis

Death camp dog satire retracted when German journal wasn’t in on joke

Totalitarianism and Democracy has removed a paper claiming that German Shepherds belonging to guards at the Berlin Wall descended from dogs used at concentration camps, after learning that the paper was a work of satire, The Guardian reports. The paper, and its author, are the creation of the anonymous group “Christiane Schulte and friends.” This isn’t the first hoax we’ve … Continue reading Death camp dog satire retracted when German journal wasn’t in on joke

Investigation leads to 5th retraction for drug researcher

A pharmaceutical researcher has received his fourth and fifth retractions for duplicating papers. Last we saw Giuseppe Derosa on this blog, he was notching retractions after publishing results from the same clinical trial in six different papers; as part of that fallout, a journal has pulled a fourth paper associated with the trial. Here’s the note for “Effects of an … Continue reading Investigation leads to 5th retraction for drug researcher

Do scientists need audits?

If audits work for the Internal Revenue Service, could they also work for science? We’re pleased to present a guest post from Viraj Mane, a life sciences commercialization manager in Toronto, and Amy Lossie at the National Institutes of Health, who have a unique proposal for how to improve the quality of papers: Random audits of … Continue reading Do scientists need audits?

Want to correct the scientific literature? Good luck

If you notice an obvious problem with a paper in your field, it should be relatively easy to alert the journal’s readers to the issue, right? Unfortunately, for a group of nutrition researchers led by David B. Allison at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, that is not their experience. Allison and his co-author Andrew Brown … Continue reading Want to correct the scientific literature? Good luck