1st retraction for cancer researcher who doctored data in 11 studies

A cancer journal has retracted a paper co-authored by a researcher who falsified or fabricated data in 11 studies, according to an investigation by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI). In December 2015, an ORI probe into the work of Girija Dasmahapatra concluded that he had …duplicated, reused, and/or relabeled Western blot panels and mouse … Continue reading 1st retraction for cancer researcher who doctored data in 11 studies

Five more retractions for biologist with funding ban brings total to six

An erstwhile cell biologist has retracted five papers published in the Journal of Cell Science (JCS), all of which had been flagged in a recent investigation by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI). The investigation found John Pastorino, previously a cell biologist at Rowan University in New Jersey, guilty of doctoring more than 40 … Continue reading Five more retractions for biologist with funding ban brings total to six

You’ve been dupe’d (again): Do these data look familiar? They are

We can’t keep up with the growing number of retraction notices, so we’ve compiled a list of recent duplications to update our records. 1. Authors don’t always intentionally duplicate their own work, of course. The first paper on our list was retracted after the authors included a figure from a previous paper by accident, according … Continue reading You’ve been dupe’d (again): Do these data look familiar? They are

Diabetes researcher logged 1 retraction, 3 correx, after PubPeer comments

A journal has retracted a paper by a leading diabetes researcher — who has also issued three corrections — after questions about her research were raised on PubPeer. Kathrin Maedler — who works at the University of Bremen in Germany — corrected another paper in 2014. All of the notices are dated from 2015, and all describe issues with … Continue reading Diabetes researcher logged 1 retraction, 3 correx, after PubPeer comments

Sixth retraction appears for bone researcher due to “extensive self-plagiarism”

A bone researcher in Japan has logged his sixth retraction, after acknowledging he duplicated substantial portions of a 2011 paper and added “honorary” co-authors. The retraction, in Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, follows five others for Yoshihiro Sato, including one from JAMA, some of which were pulled over concerns regarding authorship and data integrity. The latest retraction duplicated … Continue reading Sixth retraction appears for bone researcher due to “extensive self-plagiarism”

Authors pull Mol Cell paper for “inappropriate manipulation” of data

The authors of a Molecular Cell paper have retracted it due to issues with multiple figures — including one with evidence of “intentional misconduct.” According to the authors’ institution, IMIM in Barcelona, all co-authors are aware of the retraction. The penultimate author — Antonio García de Herreros — retracted three papers in May from the Journal of Biological Chemistry for … Continue reading Authors pull Mol Cell paper for “inappropriate manipulation” of data

Plagiarism, plagiarism, plagiarism: Five recent cases

There’s so much publishing news to report, we don’t always get to cover every retraction when it appears. To get the word out more quickly, sometimes we publish a group of papers pulled for similar reasons, such as duplications. Below, we present five recent cases of plagiarism, such as using text or figures that the … Continue reading Plagiarism, plagiarism, plagiarism: Five recent cases

Two journals retracting papers from University of Malaya featuring widely criticized figures

One journal has retracted a paper containing images that recently raised suspicions of obvious duplications, and another journal is planning to do the same. Scientists first leveled accusations against the newly retracted paper in Scientific Reports, along with two others by the same researchers, earlier this month on Twitter. One other journal — PeerJ — has announced … Continue reading Two journals retracting papers from University of Malaya featuring widely criticized figures

Weekend reads: Naughty journals; whistleblowers’ frustration; new misconduct definition?

The week at Retraction Watch featured revelations of fraud in more than $100 million in government research, and swift findings in a much-discussed case. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Leiden requests two retractions over misconduct

The Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) has asked a journal to retract two papers after revealing a former employee manipulated data. The report does not name the individual nor the journal, but notes that they work in a molecular field, and are currently employed by a university outside The Netherlands. According to a news release about … Continue reading Leiden requests two retractions over misconduct