In the autumn of 2022, a researcher in Turkey was reviewing a paper for a cardiology journal when an image of a Western blot caught her eye: A hardly visible pair of “unusual” lighter pixels seemed out of place. Magnification only bolstered her suspicion that something was off. “This image made me think that the … Continue reading Rejected paper pops up elsewhere after one journal suspected manipulation
A neurology researcher in Australia is no longer employed at his former university in the midst of a research misconduct investigation, Retraction Watch has learned. And the work of a co-author at another institution also is being assessed for possible research misconduct after sleuths alerted the university to comments on PubPeer about potential data issues … Continue reading Exclusive: Researcher has “ceased employment” at university amid investigation and retraction
Editors at Nature have retracted a 2015 paper on breast cancer metastases citing trouble with the data in the supplementary materials. The paper, “The hypoxic cancer secretome induces pre-metastatic bone lesions through lysyl oxidase,” was first published in May 2015 and has been cited 352 times, according to Clarivate’s Web of Science. This marks the … Continue reading Nature editors retract influential cancer paper with “unreliable” data
One more paper co-authored by Australian health journalist Maryanne Demasi has earned an expression of concern for image duplication. The move comes seven years after the journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) was first made aware of potential problems with a figure in Demasi’s paper that showed Western blots. It marks the third time one … Continue reading Paper co-authored by controversial Australian journalist earns expression of concern
Citing an investigation by Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, two journals last week retracted five articles by Edward Whang, an associate professor of surgery at the school. The journals, Oncogene and Surgery, both refer to problems with images of Western blots that could not be resolved because “no underlying research data” were … Continue reading Harvard surgeon has five papers pulled following internal investigation
Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Stanford prof appeals order to pay $428K in legal fees after dropping defamation suit Journal sends cease-and-desist letter to a company marketing a homeopathic alternative to opioids How journal editors kept questionable data about women’s … Continue reading Weekend reads: Russian co-authorship ban; predatory conferences; ‘Does peer review improve the statistical content of manuscripts?’
A kidney research group led by a medical school dean has accumulated five retractions. All five came within the last year, after commenters on PubPeer pointed out image similarities. Joseph I. Shapiro, vice president and dean of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, is an author on … Continue reading Medical school dean up to five retractions
The Journal of Neuroscience has slapped expressions of concern on a pair of papers linked to the maker of a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. As we and others have reported, Cassava Sciences has been under intense scrutiny lately. In August, the law firm Labaton Sucharow – who is representing Cassava short sellers – … Continue reading Two expressions of concern arrive for papers linked to beleaguered biotech Cassava
A journal is considering issuing an expression of concern for a 2005 paper by authors tied to a company that’s now under investigation for fraud, Retraction Watch has learned. [See an update on this post (bottom).] The article, “Ultra-low-dose naloxone suppresses opioid tolerance, dependence and associated changes in mu opioid receptor–G protein coupling and Gβγ … Continue reading Journal mulls expression of concern for Cassava Sciences paper
The publisher SAGE is in the process of retracting more than 30 papers across three of its journals after determining that they were churned out by paper mills — prompting the company to take a closer look at its policies and procedures. The suspect papers were initially flagged by Elisabeth Bik and others as part … Continue reading Publisher retracting more than 30 articles from paper mills