Search Results for: sting

Publisher retracting five papers because of “clear evidence” that they were “computer generated”

A publisher is retracting five papers from one of its conference series after discovering what it says was “clear evidence” that the articles were generated by a computer. The five papers were published from 2018 to 2020 in IOP Publishing’s “Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science.” According to an IOP spokesperson, the retraction notices will … Continue reading Publisher retracting five papers because of “clear evidence” that they were “computer generated”

Weekend reads: A Holocaust studies misconduct finding; Nature investigating majorana paper; nepotistic journals

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: On COVID-19 PCR testing paper, “the criteria for a retraction … Continue reading Weekend reads: A Holocaust studies misconduct finding; Nature investigating majorana paper; nepotistic journals

Okinawa researcher suspended for faking data denies committing misconduct

Ye Zhang, who as we reported yesterday is serving a six-month suspension from her post at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), in Japan, says she did not commit misconduct, as the school contends.  In response to a query from Retraction Watch, Zhang, a materials scientist, said she did not agree with … Continue reading Okinawa researcher suspended for faking data denies committing misconduct

Springer Nature to retract chapter on sign language critics call “unbelievably insulting”

Springer Nature is retracting a book chapter describing conference research after scholars in the deaf community blasted it for being “unbelievably insulting.” The chapter, “Implementation of Hand Gesture Recognition System To Aid Deaf-Dumb People,” appeared in Advances in Signal and Data Procesing: Select Proceedings of ICSDP 2019. The authors were  Supriya Ghule and Mrunalini Chavaan, … Continue reading Springer Nature to retract chapter on sign language critics call “unbelievably insulting”

Weekend reads: Women’s authorships bounce back?; scientists go to court; demoted for plagiarism

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: “I don’t think I slept for a day and a … Continue reading Weekend reads: Women’s authorships bounce back?; scientists go to court; demoted for plagiarism

What is a figure about budgies doing in four different plant papers?

As Antonella Longo was peer-reviewing a study for the journal Plant and Soil, she became “alarmed by one figure.” The figure’s title — ”Level2 GO terms of Melopsittacus_undulates” — seemed to be a misspelled reference to a bird species called Melopsittacus undulatus.  More commonly known as a budgie or parakeet, undulatus is a vibrantly colored … Continue reading What is a figure about budgies doing in four different plant papers?

Former Texas postdoc earns 10-year federal funding ban for faking authors and papers to boost metrics

A former postdoc at the University of Texas Health Science Center has been found guilty of misconduct stemming from efforts to rig preprint servers to boost the postdoc’s publication metrics. The findings about Yibin Lin include the fabrication and falsification of data, as well as plagiarism in six published papers that have since been retracted … Continue reading Former Texas postdoc earns 10-year federal funding ban for faking authors and papers to boost metrics

“The whole thing is yucky:” When you’re surprised to find yourself as an author on a paper

When David Cox noticed on Dec. 10, 2020 that two papers in the journal Cluster Computing listed him as an author, he didn’t think much of it at first. I have a common name, so it is not unheard of to have an article written by another David Cox assigned to my profile. I thought … Continue reading “The whole thing is yucky:” When you’re surprised to find yourself as an author on a paper

NIH researcher responds as sleuths scrutinize high-profile study of ultra-processed foods and weight gain

[This post has been updated since publication; see update note at end for details.] In July 2019, Kevin Hall, of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and colleagues published a study in Cell Metabolism that found, according to its title, that “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain.”  A year and a half … Continue reading NIH researcher responds as sleuths scrutinize high-profile study of ultra-processed foods and weight gain

Why one biologist says it’s not too late to retract the “arsenic life” paper

An anniversary has prompted this reconsideration of the revolution in biochemistry that wasn’t: the “arsenic bacteria.” Just over 10 years have passed since an infamous Dec. 2, 2010, NASA press conference, which promised the revelation of “an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life.”  Of course, nothing of the kind … Continue reading Why one biologist says it’s not too late to retract the “arsenic life” paper