The Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics has retracted a 2012 paper by a pair of Iranian cosmologists who failed to adequately cite one of the critical references on which they based their work. We think that falls under the broader category of plagiarism — after all, as Heisenberg famously postulated, the same text cannot simultaneously … Continue reading Gravity paper yanked for plagiarism by another name
Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences is retracting a 2012 paper on a “model approach” to e-learning that well, was anything but a model approach to scientific publishing. The article, “Implications of E-learning systems and self-efficiency on students outcomes: a model approach,” was written by Tanzila Saba, who has been affiliated with institutions in Malaysia and … Continue reading See one, do one, copy one? E-learning paper retracted for plagiarism
The journal Food and Bioproducts Processing has retracted a 2012 article on apple pomace — the remnants of a pressed fruit — by a group from India. The reason? Turns out the paper “Utility of apple pomace as a substrate for various products: A review,” fell a little to close to the tree. Here’s the … Continue reading Forbidden fruit: apple pomace paper retracted for plagiarism
Identity, which bills itself as “An International Journal of Theory and Research,” has retracted a 2013 article by an Italian researcher who stole the work from another author, then published it twice. The paper, “Behind the mask: A typology of men cruising for same-sex act,” was ostensibly written by Stefano Ramello, an “independent researcher explores … Continue reading Identity theft: Psych journal retracts paper on gay sex for plagiarism
Apologies, mea culpas, regrets. Kids, let this be a warning to you: Don’t plagiarize. You will get caught, and you’ll have to come clean. Just ask a group of Spanish researchers who published a 2011 paper in Proteome Science, then lost it this past April because they’d stolen text and a figure from previously published … Continue reading A regretful retraction for plagiarism and duplication in Proteome Science
The Journal of Mathematical Physics has retracted a paper by a prolific mathematician in Turkey who doesn’t agree that he plagiarized. Here’s the notice, for “Homotopy perturbation method to obtain exact special solutions with solitary patterns for Boussinesq-like B(m,n) equations with fully nonlinear dispersion:”
What are the best excuses you’ve seen for plagiarism? James Kroll, at the National Science Foundation’s Office of Inspector General, has collected a bunch over the years (click on the image to enlarge):
From the Not Saying What You Mean Files: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment has retracted a recent article by authors in Kuwait who appear to have plagiarized, although you couldn’t really tell from the notice. The paper, “Detection of bacterial endotoxin in drinking tap and bottled water in Kuwait,” appeared in the December 2012 issue of … Continue reading Referencing failure (we mean, plagiarism) leads to retraction of water testing paper
We’ve heard a lot of rationalizations for plagiarism on this beat — “I didn’t know I had to cite that text”; “That author said it better than I ever could”; etc. — but here’s a new one for the wall of shame. Chemistry – A European Journal is retracting a 2012 article, “A New Indicator … Continue reading Plagiarism: It’s just an “approach” to writing papers, right?
Last month, we covered the retraction of a paper by A.M.K. El-Ghonemy, of Al-Jouf University in Saudi Arabia. The engineer now has a second retraction in the same journal, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Here’s the notice for “Waste energy recovery in sea water reverse osmosis desalination plants, Part-1: Review”: