A patient’s “unusual” brain cyst excited several researchers in China so much they published a paper about it in a major journal. Soon a reader identified a glaring mistake: the authors had described the cause of the cyst incorrectly. A month after the paper appeared online in November 2016, the reader — a neurologist … Continue reading Lost in translation: Authors blame a language error for wrong diagnosis
Are there two types of retractions? One that results from a form of misconduct, such as plagiarism or manipulating figures, and another that results from “honest errors,” or genuine mistakes the authors have owned up to? More and more research is suggesting that the community views each type very differently, and don’t shun researchers who … Continue reading Authors who retract for honest error say they aren’t penalized as a result
Neurology has partially retracted a 2016 paper, replacing a figure and removing the author who contributed it after he was found guilty of misconduct. The journal has replaced the figure with a new one that confirmed the findings of the original, and swapped the name of Andrew Cullinane with the scientist who constructed the new … Continue reading Unusual: Neurology removes author dinged for misconduct from 2016 paper
Journals published by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) have retracted a handful of figures in two papers with the same last and first authors. After some figures in the 2005 and 2007 papers were flagged on PubPeer and the authors couldn’t provide the original data, the journals decided to retract parts of the papers, … Continue reading EMBO journals retract figures in two papers missing source data
A plastic surgery journal in India has retracted an article about rehabilitation following removal of an eye after a patient contacted the editors to say she hadn’t consented to publish her picture. Mukund Jagannathan, the journal’s editor-in-chief and a plastic surgeon in India, told Retraction Watch: The patient wrote to the editor, mentioning that her … Continue reading Patient didn’t okay including her picture in plastic surgery paper
An author of a paper about a boy with a rare genetic disorder has retracted it after the patient’s family revoked permission to use his photo. The 2012 paper in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (IJDVL) told the tale of a 14-year old boy with Delleman syndrome, a condition that often results … Continue reading Family decries publication of child’s picture in open access journal
Two former researchers at Duke University at the center of a lawsuit by a whistleblower to recoup millions in federal funding have lost yet another paper. This is hardly the first retraction for Erin Potts-Kant, who used to work in the pulmonary lab of now-retired William Michael Foster. Earlier this year, a lawsuit filed by a … Continue reading Former Duke researcher at center of lawsuit lodges 16th retraction
A researcher charged with embezzlement — and now the subject of a multi-million dollar lawsuit — has earned another correction, again citing “unreliable” data. But this doesn’t appear to be a run-of-the-mill correction notice. Firstly, it affects a paper co-authored by Erin Potts-Kant and William Foster, former Duke employees now being sued (along with Duke) … Continue reading Correction cites “unreliable” data in paper by researchers at center of Duke lawsuit
A communications journal has retracted parts of a paper about a famous German political scientist after her great-nephew threatened the journal with legal action, claiming bits of the paper were defamatory. The European Journal of Communication (EJC) retracted the parts of the paper that reviewed a biography of Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, published in Germany in 2013. The biography … Continue reading Heir claims part of review about political scientist is defamatory, journal partially retracts
Another expression of concern (EOC) has appeared for a pair of lung researchers formerly employed by Duke University. Co-authors Erin Potts-Kant, a research assistant who left the school and was charged with embezzlement, and Michael Foster, who has retired, share more than a dozen retractions, corrections and EOCs. Like many of those papers, the American Journal of Respiratory … Continue reading Another paper by Duke pair with 12+ retractions is flagged