Search Results for: email fake

Biotech exec stole an image and reused others while in academia, US federal watchdog says

A pioneer in the field of exosome biology engaged in research misconduct by reusing images he had falsely relabeled in two published papers and several grant applications, according to a U.S. government research watchdog.  The case goes back several years, as the scientist’s former institution seems to have been investigating his work for nearly a … Continue reading Biotech exec stole an image and reused others while in academia, US federal watchdog says

Why misconduct could keep scientists from earning Highly Cited Researcher designations, and how our database plays a part

Retraction Watch readers are likely familiar with Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researcher (HCR) designation, awarded to “who have demonstrated a disproportionate level of significant and broad influence in their field or fields of research.” And they might also recall that researchers whose work has come under significant scrutiny — or even retracted — can sometimes show … Continue reading Why misconduct could keep scientists from earning Highly Cited Researcher designations, and how our database plays a part

Weekend reads: A whistleblower finds possible misconduct — again; embracing failure; radical transparency for journals

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Our list of retracted or withdrawn COVID-19 papers is up to 268. There are more than 36,000 retractions in our database — which powers retraction alerts in EndNote, LibKey, Papers, and Zotero. And have you seen our leaderboard of authors with the most … Continue reading Weekend reads: A whistleblower finds possible misconduct — again; embracing failure; radical transparency for journals

Deceptive Academic Journals: An excerpt from The Predator Effect

Predatory journals — even the term is controversial — have been a vexing problem for many years, and have certainly been a subject of coverage at Retraction Watch and elsewhere. We’re pleased to present an excerpt a new book, The Predator Effect: Understanding the Past, Present and Future of Deceptive Academic Journals, by longtime publishing … Continue reading Deceptive Academic Journals: An excerpt from The Predator Effect

Exclusive: Elsevier retracting 500 papers for shoddy peer review

Elsevier is retracting 500 papers from a journal dedicated to conference proceedings because “the peer-review process was confirmed to fall beneath the high standards expected,” Retraction Watch has learned. As we reported a month ago, “data thug” James Heathers “found at least 1,500 off-topic papers, many with abstracts containing ‘tortured phrases’ that may have been … Continue reading Exclusive: Elsevier retracting 500 papers for shoddy peer review

Iran’s science minister earns four retractions

The science minister of Iran has amassed four retractions recently over concerns about the authenticity of chemicals used in the studies.  Mohammad Ali Zolfigol, who has held the post of Minister of Science, Research and Technology for more than a year, is first or second author in all four of the papers, which appeared between … Continue reading Iran’s science minister earns four retractions

Meet a sleuth whose work has resulted in more than 850 retractions

Nick Wise had always been “slightly interested” in research integrity and fraud, just from working in science.  Then, last July, from following image sleuth Elisabeth Bik on Twitter, he learned about the work of Guillaume Cabanac, Cyril Labbé, and Alexander Magazinov identifying “tortured phrases” in published papers.  Such phrases – such as “bosom peril,” meaning … Continue reading Meet a sleuth whose work has resulted in more than 850 retractions

Weekend reads: A bizarre turn in a plagiarism case; lessons of the ‘replication crisis’; special issues redux

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: In 1987, the NIH found a paper contained fake data. It was just retracted. ‘A big pain’: Professor up to six retractions for plagiarism and manipulated peer review ‘A display of extreme academic integrity’: A … Continue reading Weekend reads: A bizarre turn in a plagiarism case; lessons of the ‘replication crisis’; special issues redux

Can you explain what these 1,500 papers are doing in this journal?

The Internet of Things. Computer science. Botany. COVID-19. All worthwhile subjects, to be sure. But what do they have to do with materials science? That’s what James Heathers, who will be familiar to readers of Retraction Watch as a “data thug,” found himself wondering after he spent a weekend looking into articles published by Materials Today: … Continue reading Can you explain what these 1,500 papers are doing in this journal?

Weekend reads: ‘Papermill alarm’ software; questions about a study of prosthetics; what do publishers stand for?

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Journal says ivermectin study met standard for ‘credible science’ Former Iranian government official up to two retractions, five corrections A journal did nothing about plagiarism allegations for a year. Then the tweets (and an email … Continue reading Weekend reads: ‘Papermill alarm’ software; questions about a study of prosthetics; what do publishers stand for?