Search Results for: sting

Should the chocolate-diet sting study be retracted? And why the coverage doesn’t surprise a news watchdog

Note: This story has been updated to include the journal’s response. See below. Yesterday, John Bohannon described in i09.com how he successfully”created” health news — he conducted a flawed trial of the health benefits of chocolate, gamed the data to produce statistically significant results, and published the findings in the International Archives of Medicine: It was terrible science. … Continue reading Should the chocolate-diet sting study be retracted? And why the coverage doesn’t surprise a news watchdog

Dissertation in transition: Plagiarism leads to delisting of education thesis, lost PhD

The author of a doctoral dissertation on veterans education has lost the paper — and a mention of the work in a roster of theses — because he lifted text from a previously published dissertation from a student at another institution. Here’s the notice:

PubPeer Selections: Boosting memory in Science, extending lifespan in Nature, quantum anesthesia in PNAS

As Retraction Watch readers probably know, we’re big fans of PubPeer, the post-publication peer review site that allows comments on papers. Discussions there have led to a number of corrections and retractions, and even more importantly, authors are starting to respond to clarify results, acknowledge errors, or otherwise advance knowledge. After all, as we often … Continue reading PubPeer Selections: Boosting memory in Science, extending lifespan in Nature, quantum anesthesia in PNAS

“Error in data compilation” leaves bitter taste for paper on sweeter-tasting pills

A publication on a new, tastier dissolving tablet has been retracted for data errors. Here’s the brief notice for “Meloxicam Taste-Masked Oral Disintegrating Tablet with Dissolution Enhanced by Ion Exchange Resins and Cyclodextrin“:

Authors retract study suggesting magnesium prevents Alzheimer’s in mice

The authors of a 2013 Journal of Neuroscience study suggesting that “elevation of brain magnesium…may have therapeutic potential for treating [Alzheimer’s disease] in humans” have retracted it after finding errors in the work. Here’s the original abstract:

Publisher to pulp existing copies of science communication book because of plagiarism

The publisher Taylor & Francis has decided to pulp all existing copies of a 2012 book on science communication, and suspend electronic copies indefinitely, after it became clear that the text was plagiarized from the work of another author. The book, Clear and Concise Communications for Scientists and Engineers, was written by energy and environmental … Continue reading Publisher to pulp existing copies of science communication book because of plagiarism

Fallout from Science’s publisher sting: Journal closes in Croatia

Science‘s John Bohannon has recently revealed the extent of poor or non-existent peer review in some journals that call themselves peer-reviewed, as we reported on here. Now, an open-access publisher based in Rijeka, Croatia, called InTech, has cancelled its journal that was targeted and exposed by Science’s investigation. The journal was going to charge 400 euros to … Continue reading Fallout from Science’s publisher sting: Journal closes in Croatia

Referencing failure (we mean, plagiarism) leads to retraction of water testing paper

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

Arsenic-in-the-water paper with “interesting data” first corrected, now retracted

Note (4/9/13): John McArthur contacted us with a few corrections, which we have made below. The Journal of Contaminant Hydrology has retracted a 2008 paper by a group of Indian scientists for plagiarism and the failure to adequately reference their sources. What makes this case somewhat unusual is that the journal allowed the authors to … Continue reading Arsenic-in-the-water paper with “interesting data” first corrected, now retracted