JAMA authors retract (and replace) paper about moves and kids’ mental health

JAMA authors have retracted — and replaced — a 2014 paper about the mental health effects of household moves on kids, after they found errors while completing an additional analysis. The original paper concluded that in “families who moved out of high-poverty neighborhoods, boys experienced an increase and girls a decrease in rates of depression and conduct … Continue reading JAMA authors retract (and replace) paper about moves and kids’ mental health

Weekend reads: How to prove (and find) false claims; confessions of a wasteful scientist

This week at Retraction Watch featured what may be a record for plagiarism, a paper retracted because the device researchers claimed to use hadn’t arrive in the institution yet, and a technical glitch, which meant you may have missed some of our posts. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

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

Science names new editor-in-chief

Science has a new editor-in-chief. As of July 1st, Jeremy M. Berg will be at the helm of the family of journals published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, replacing Marcia McNutt. McNutt is leaving to become president of the National Academy of Sciences. Berg, now associate senior vice chancellor for science strategy and planning … Continue reading Science names new editor-in-chief

How should journals update papers when new findings come out?

When authors get new data that revise a previous report, what should they do? In the case of a 2015 lung cancer drug study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the journal published a letter to the editor with the updated findings. Shortly after the paper was published, a pharmaceutical company released new data showing the drug … Continue reading How should journals update papers when new findings come out?

Duplicated data gets corrected — not retracted — by psych journal

A psychology journal is correcting a paper for reusing data. The editor told us the paper is a “piecemeal publication,” not a duplicate, and is distinct enough from the previous article that it is not “grounds for retraction.” The authors tracked the health and mood of 65 patients over nine weeks. In one paper, they concluded that measures … Continue reading Duplicated data gets corrected — not retracted — by psych journal

Ecologists pull paper on how climate change affects moths after model mixup

Ecologists have retracted a paper published only months ago in Science Advances, after realizing that they had misinterpreted a climate model. The October paper examined the effects of climate change on populations of 155 species of British moths and butterflies. According to a press release from the authors’ institution, the University of York: Using data collected … Continue reading Ecologists pull paper on how climate change affects moths after model mixup

Physicists retract Nature paper on Earth’s core after findings aren’t reproducible

Physicists have retracted a highly cited paper from Nature on the behavior of electrons at the center of the Earth after other researchers could not reproduce their findings. The 2015 paper earned coverage in Science News and Live Science, where co-author Ronald Cohen explained: There was a big problem in how you generate a magnetic field, and now, because of our … Continue reading Physicists retract Nature paper on Earth’s core after findings aren’t reproducible

Paper on GI cancers linked to AIDS pulled for errors that upped tumor incidence

Gastroenterology has retracted a 2012 article on GI cancers associated with AIDS after the authors, from the National Cancer Institute, acknowledged that a “programming” error led them to overestimate the incidence of the tumors. The paper, “Increased Risk of Stomach and Esophageal Malignancies in People With AIDS,” received a significant amount of attention when it first … Continue reading Paper on GI cancers linked to AIDS pulled for errors that upped tumor incidence