Meet our new staff writer, Andrew P. Han

Please welcome Andrew P. Han, the newest addition to the Retraction Watch team. Andy comes to Retraction Watch and the Center for Scientific Integrity from GenomeWeb, where he covered the explosion of CRISPR/Cas9 into the research and biotech scene over the last several years. He has also freelanced for Wired.com, Popular Mechanics.com, Newsweek, and Food … Continue reading Meet our new staff writer, Andrew P. Han

Researcher who sued to prevent retractions now has 12

A diabetes researcher who once sued a publisher to prevent several retractions has just issued his 12th. The latest retraction, like several others for Mario Saad, appears in the journal Diabetes. Although in the past Saad expended considerable effort to protect four other Diabetes papers from this same fate, the latest retraction was initiated by the authors, citing several duplicated images. … Continue reading Researcher who sued to prevent retractions now has 12

PLOS upgrades flag on controversial PACE chronic fatigue syndrome trial; authors “surprised”

PLOS ONE has issued an expression of concern after the authors of a controversial study about chronic fatigue syndrome declined to share some of their data. In an unusual move, the journal included the authors’ response to the expression of concern (EOC), in which they strongly argue against the notice, and “do not accept that it … Continue reading PLOS upgrades flag on controversial PACE chronic fatigue syndrome trial; authors “surprised”

Author objects to retraction after he says journal ignored his queries for three years

In 2014, a journal contacted researcher Denis Rousseau about one of his papers that had just been published online ahead of print, raising some concerns. According to Rousseau, he sent the journal a corrected figure “almost immediately,” which he believed addressed the issue. Rousseau, a cell biologist at the University Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France, said he then contacted the journal many … Continue reading Author objects to retraction after he says journal ignored his queries for three years

“Remarkable” it was ever accepted, says report: Science to retract study on fish and microplastics

Science is retracting a paper about how human pollution is harming fish, after months of questions about the validity of the data. The move, first reported by the news side of Science on Friday, follows a new report from a review board in Sweden that concluded the authors were guilty of “scientific dishonesty,” and the paper should be … Continue reading “Remarkable” it was ever accepted, says report: Science to retract study on fish and microplastics

University suggests journal correct diabetes paper. Publisher retracts it.

After a publisher learned there may be issues with a 2008 diabetes paper, it asked the author’s university to investigate. The university found evidence of image duplication, and asked the journal to consider correcting the paper. Instead, the journal has retracted it. The backstory involves diabetes researcher Kathrin Maedler, who has one previous retraction, as … Continue reading University suggests journal correct diabetes paper. Publisher retracts it.

Weekend reads: New calls for retraction; more on fake peer review; how long does peer review take?

The week at Retraction Watch featured a look at how long journals take to respond to retraction requests, and news of a $10 million settlement for research misconduct allegations. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Former rising star found guilty of misconduct issues 2nd retraction

A once-lauded researcher in the field of infectious disease — who has since been found guilty of misconduct — has retracted a second paper. Last year, the University of Dundee in Scotland investigated and ultimately concluded that Robert Ryan — whose work focused on infections that can be deadly in people with lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis … Continue reading Former rising star found guilty of misconduct issues 2nd retraction

Harvard teaching hospital to pay $10 million to settle research misconduct allegations

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and its parent healthcare network have agreed to pay $10 million to the U.S. government to resolve allegations it fraudulently obtained federal funding. The case, which involves three former Harvard stem cell researchers, dates back several years. In 2014, Circulation retracted a paper by Piero Anversa, Annarosa Leri, and Jan Kajstura, … Continue reading Harvard teaching hospital to pay $10 million to settle research misconduct allegations