New Frontiers: Marc Hauser back publishing in scientific literature

frontiers psychMarc Hauser, the psychology researcher who resigned from Harvard and was found by the Office of Research Integrity to have committed misconduct, has published two new papers.

Both papers appear in Frontiers in Psychology, the journal whose retraction of a controversial paper on conspiracy ideation and climate skepticism was, by the editors’ own admission, handled badly.

Here’s the abstract to “The mystery of language evolution:”

Continue reading New Frontiers: Marc Hauser back publishing in scientific literature

Did article on doped indium contain a doped image?

asscoverApplied Surface Science has retracted a 2010 paper by a group of researchers from India and Brazil because one of the figures in the article was suspect.

The paper was titled “Effect of hydrogenation vs. re-heating on intrinsic magnetization of Co doped In2O3.”

Continue reading Did article on doped indium contain a doped image?

Dubai-ous: Journal yanks surgery paper for consent, data issues

Low-Res-Annals-95_4-Cover-1_smallThe Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has retracted a 2013 article by a group from Dubai and Italy after learning of serious issues with the data in the report.

The article, “Transanal haemorrhoidal dearterialisation with mucopexy versus stapler haemorrhoidopexy: a randomised trial with long term follow-up,” purportedly described a long-term telephone follow-up study of patients who had undergone the procedure. Here’s the abstract: Continue reading Dubai-ous: Journal yanks surgery paper for consent, data issues

Retractions 3 and 4 appear for researcher facing criminal probe; OSU co-author won’t face inquiry

dna cell biology 2Alfredo Fusco, a cancer researcher in Italy who is facing a criminal investigation for fraud, has had two more papers retracted.

Continue reading Retractions 3 and 4 appear for researcher facing criminal probe; OSU co-author won’t face inquiry

Weekend reads: Retraction Watch on NPR; “hysteria” over replication; when a paywall might be a good thing

booksIt’s been another busy week at Retraction Watch, mostly because of the unfolding Jens Förster story. Here’s what was happening elsewhere on the web: Continue reading Weekend reads: Retraction Watch on NPR; “hysteria” over replication; when a paywall might be a good thing

Chemists lose JACS silicone paper over data dispute

Journal of the American Chemical SocietyA pair of chemists at Ball State University in Indiana has lost their paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on silicone in a dispute over the provenance of the data.

The article, “Silicone Electrosynthesis from Silica Raw Materials at Room Temperature,” was written by Jeffrey E. Dick, a grad student, and Daesung Chong. It appeared in JACS in March.

As the abstract explained: Continue reading Chemists lose JACS silicone paper over data dispute

Robot paper retracted for stealing from doctoral thesis

int j adv robot sysThe authors of a paper in the International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems have lost it after it became clear that they’d lifted most of it from a PhD thesis.

Here’s the notice: Continue reading Robot paper retracted for stealing from doctoral thesis

“Potential error” leads to Expression of Concern for macaque paper

janat414The Journal of Anatomy has expressed concern about a 2011 paper on primate jaws.

The article, “The mechanical function of the periodontal ligament in the macaque mandible: a validation and sensitivity study using finite element analysis,” by a group from the University of York, in the United Kingdom, purported to find that:

Continue reading “Potential error” leads to Expression of Concern for macaque paper

Plagiarism (and plenty of it) fells Crohn’s paper

jcpcover414A group of researchers from Italy has lost their 2010 paper in the Journal of Cellular Physiology for having plagiarized — in style.

The article, “Early Years of Biological Agents Therapy in Crohn’s Disease and Risk of the Human Polyomavirus JC Reactivation,” was led by Valeria Pietropaolo, of Sapienza University in Rome and the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The paper has been cited 10 times, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge. The abstract, which is still available, reads:

Continue reading Plagiarism (and plenty of it) fells Crohn’s paper

Anatomy of an inquiry: The report that led to the Jens Förster investigation

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Jens Förster

We have obtained a copy of the report that led to the investigation of Jens Förster, the social psychologist at the University of Amsterdam, which is calling for the retraction of a 2012 article by the researcher for manipulated data.

As we reported earlier, Förster has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

Continue reading Anatomy of an inquiry: The report that led to the Jens Förster investigation