Weekend reads: Paying for publication?; deeper looks at citation practices; preprints and retractions

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: ‘I needed a publication in order to submit my thesis’: Author admits to stealing a manuscript Science issues expression of concern nine months after one of its reporters uncovers potential misconduct Publisher cancels special … Continue reading Weekend reads: Paying for publication?; deeper looks at citation practices; preprints and retractions

Journal retracts a paper, then publishes it in an issue 11 months later

Yes, you read that headline right. In January 2021, we reported that The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (JSCR) would soon be retracting two papers because a graduate student had committed misconduct in the work. The journal – the official research publication of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NCSA) – did retract the … Continue reading Journal retracts a paper, then publishes it in an issue 11 months later

More than 100 of an anesthesiologist’s papers retracted

There’s a new entry on the Retraction Watch Leaderboard. And this one is also the fourth member of the Retraction Watch Century Club. An anesthesiology researcher in Japan is now up to 117 retractions – putting him third on our list of most-retracted authors. Hironobu Ueshima, formerly of Showa University Hospital in Tokyo, was found … Continue reading More than 100 of an anesthesiologist’s papers retracted

Vice chancellor in Pakistan sues researcher whose work he plagiarized – and says he was the victim

In response to allegations of plagiarism, the vice chancellor of a university in Pakistan has brought a 500 million rupee (~$2,800,000USD) defamation suit against his accuser.  As we reported last July, Farukh Iqbal, of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at RMIT University, in Melbourne, Australia, had discovered that a paper in the journal … Continue reading Vice chancellor in Pakistan sues researcher whose work he plagiarized – and says he was the victim

Weekend reads: Academic fraud factories; zombie science; ‘Silicon Valley’s new obsession’

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Authors admit to stealing parts of a paper from a thesis on an unrelated subject Should residents and fellows be encouraged to publish systematic reviews and meta-analyses? How an ivermectin study that didn’t mention … Continue reading Weekend reads: Academic fraud factories; zombie science; ‘Silicon Valley’s new obsession’

Weekend reads: Academania; redaction bias; a Harvard star falls; top retractions of 2021

Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: ‘Why did this take over five years?’ Reflecting on two … Continue reading Weekend reads: Academania; redaction bias; a Harvard star falls; top retractions of 2021

Paper on sexual orientation and neuropsychiatric disorders earns an expression of concern

An Elsevier journal has issued an expression of concern for a paper it published earlier this year by a Dutch researcher who studies the neurobiology of sexuality. The article,“Sexual orientation, neuropsychiatric disorders and the neurotransmitters involved,” was written by a group led by Dick Swaab, of the Department of Neuropsychiatric Disorders at the Netherlands Institute … Continue reading Paper on sexual orientation and neuropsychiatric disorders earns an expression of concern

Author who squats on domains to fake affiliations and added Wolf Blitzer as a co-author up to a dozen retractions

A putative brain surgeon with a penchant for fabricating his affiliations and co-authors — including Wolf Blitzer of CNN — has lost several more papers to retraction. As we reported in August, Michael George Zaki Ghali, or someone using that name: bought two fake web domains for the Karolinska Institutet [KI] to make it look … Continue reading Author who squats on domains to fake affiliations and added Wolf Blitzer as a co-author up to a dozen retractions

Weekend reads: An error in a PLOS journal leads to angry calls to Fauci; Jonathan Pruitt placed on leave; Cassava Sciences under SEC investigation

Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Publisher retracts nearly 80 articles over three days PNAS retracts … Continue reading Weekend reads: An error in a PLOS journal leads to angry calls to Fauci; Jonathan Pruitt placed on leave; Cassava Sciences under SEC investigation

“Sand, sun, sea and sex with strangers” paper did not need human subjects research protection approval, says author

A now-temporarily retracted paper about how gay men seeking sex on the beach is damaging dunes that was criticized for its language — and for not mentioning any ethical approval — did not need such approval, one of the study’s authors said. The study was carried out in 2018. But the Human Research Ethics Commitee … Continue reading “Sand, sun, sea and sex with strangers” paper did not need human subjects research protection approval, says author