Sage retracts more than 200 papers from journal for compromised peer review

The publisher Sage has retracted 209 articles from an engineering journal after an investigation found “compromised peer review or 3rd party involvement,” according to a company spokesperson.   The retractions, all from the International Journal of Electrical Engineering & Education, stem from an investigation that led Sage to retract 122 papers – as well as fire … Continue reading Sage retracts more than 200 papers from journal for compromised peer review

Guest post: A look behind the scenes of bulk retractions from Sage

When I began my graduate work almost 15 years ago, retractions of papers in academic journals were rare, reserved mainly for clear misconduct or serious errors. Today, rarity has given way to routine, with retractions coming more often and increasingly in bulk.  Sage is not immune to large-scale retractions, nor are we passive observers of … Continue reading Guest post: A look behind the scenes of bulk retractions from Sage

Cancer researcher with nine retractions says he’ll take publisher to court

A cancer researcher who lost nine papers in one day as a publisher purged articles offered in “authorship-for-sale” schemes told Retraction Watch he and his co-authors “will soon defend ourselves legally.”  Last month, the publisher Frontiers announced it had retracted 38 papers after its research integrity team found links to the practice of buying and … Continue reading Cancer researcher with nine retractions says he’ll take publisher to court

Exclusive: Professor in France blames alleged ghostwriter for plagiarism

A professor of interventional radiology in France pointed the finger at an alleged ghostwriter after he was caught plagiarizing large portions of text in a review article, Retraction Watch has learned. “After careful checking, I noticed that I am not the author of this paper despite my first authorship since it has been written by … Continue reading Exclusive: Professor in France blames alleged ghostwriter for plagiarism

Study of music by Mozart includes tunes “not necessarily music composed by Mozart”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy – famously writing music at an age when other children need lullabies to help them to fall asleep.  Despite how prolific he was, however, Mozart did not write an album called “Bedtime Mozart.” That has now created a headache for the authors of a study published in Pediatric … Continue reading Study of music by Mozart includes tunes “not necessarily music composed by Mozart”

Signs of undeclared ChatGPT use in papers mounting

Last week, an environmental journal published a paper on the use of renewable energy in cleaning up contaminated land. To read it, you would have to pay 40 euros. But you still wouldn’t know for sure who wrote it. Ostensibly authored by researchers in China, “Revitalizing our earth: unleashing the power of green energy in … Continue reading Signs of undeclared ChatGPT use in papers mounting

Weekend reads: Crossref acquires the Retraction Watch Database; Italy minister’s papers scrutinized; Carlo Croce goes to court yet again

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 to well over 350. There are now nearly 43,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which is now part of Crossref. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains 200 titles. … Continue reading Weekend reads: Crossref acquires the Retraction Watch Database; Italy minister’s papers scrutinized; Carlo Croce goes to court yet again

Weekend reads: ChatGPT in papers; a Russia-based paper mill; getting scooped becomes an opportunity

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 to well over 350. There are now well over 42,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which powers retraction alerts in Edifix, EndNote, LibKey, Papers, and Zotero. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains 200 … Continue reading Weekend reads: ChatGPT in papers; a Russia-based paper mill; getting scooped becomes an opportunity

Eight papers retracted after author found to be fictional

Elsevier journals are retracting eight studies after learning that one of the authors on the papers was “fictitious” – as in a similar case we reported on recently.  The ostensible author, Toshiyuki Bangi, was listed as affiliated with the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The eight studies, which … Continue reading Eight papers retracted after author found to be fictional

Stanford president retracts two Science papers following investigation

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, whose resignation as president of Stanford University becomes effective today, is retracting two papers from Science following an institutional investigation that found data manipulation in multiple figures.  Both articles, “Hierarchical Organization of Guidance Receptors: Silencing of Netrin Attraction by Slit Through a Robo/DCC Receptor Complex,” and “Binding of DCC by Netrin-1 to Mediate … Continue reading Stanford president retracts two Science papers following investigation