Weekend reads: Frustrated scientists; most brutal rejection ever?; public shaming in science

The week at Retraction Watch featured 58 retractions in one fell swoop, and a look at what you should do if you find out a paper you’ve cited has been retracted. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Two journals, same name: Did one editor retract the other’s paper?

Two journals sharing the same title — allegedly due to an “academic divorce” between the founders — are giving two different accounts to why a paper may (or may not) have been retracted. Confused yet? We are. Here’s what we can piece together. The journal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation once had two editors, Craig Hassapakis and Robert Browne; … Continue reading Two journals, same name: Did one editor retract the other’s paper?

Authors retract third cancer paper for missing original data

Researchers have retracted their third paper due to missing original data, following an investigation at their former institution in New York. We’ve previously reported on two retractions of papers co-authored by Bhagavathi Narayanan and Narayanan K. Narayanan, previously based at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine. The studies were pulled when the pair couldn’t … Continue reading Authors retract third cancer paper for missing original data

Eye researcher loses fourth paper for misconduct following Georgia, VA investigation

A biologist at the University of Georgia has lost a paper after an investigation revealed she had tampered with three images. In 2014, Azza El-Remessy notched three retractions for a series of image errors. Now, a fourth retraction notice, and an expression of concern, explain there has been an investigation into her work. The investigation — conducted by two … Continue reading Eye researcher loses fourth paper for misconduct following Georgia, VA investigation

Leading diabetes researcher acted negligently, probe concludes

Several duplications in the work of a prominent diabetes researcher were the result of negligence, but there is not enough evidence to support charges of misconduct, according to an investigation at her university in Germany. Recently, we’ve reported on several notices for papers co-authored by Kathrin Maedler, a researcher at the University of Bremen. So … Continue reading Leading diabetes researcher acted negligently, probe concludes

Author pulls Diabetes paper with duplicated Western blots

A researcher has retracted a paper from Diabetes after re-using some Western blots in one of the figures from other papers. According to the retraction notice, the first and corresponding author — Eric Berglund, formerly at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee — contacted the journal himself to report the error, for which he takes full responsibility. … Continue reading Author pulls Diabetes paper with duplicated Western blots

Prominent heart researcher dismissed by Ontario university; colleagues appeal

Earlier this month, Morris Karmazyn, an award-winning cardiovascular researcher who’s published hundreds of papers, was called into a meeting with the office of faculty relations at the University of Western Ontario, and terminated. The reason? A series of image problems in some of his papers, raised by a former member of his lab. When Karmazyn, Canada … Continue reading Prominent heart researcher dismissed by Ontario university; colleagues appeal

Psychological society wants end to posting error-finding algorithm results publicly

A leading psychology research society in Germany has called for the end of PubPeer postings based on a computer program that trawls through psychology papers detecting statistical errors, saying it is needlessly causing reputational damage to researchers. Last month, we reported on an initiative that aimed to clean up the psychology literature by identifying statistical errors using … Continue reading Psychological society wants end to posting error-finding algorithm results publicly

Weekend reads: Why so much research is dodgy; why scientists should shun journals; ethical grey zones

The week at Retraction Watch featured a cancer researcher retracting 19 studies at once from a single journal, and the story of how a 7-year-old came to publish a paper. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Researcher pegged for misconduct in 11 papers earns 2nd retraction

A cancer journal has retracted a paper by a researcher who doctored data in 11 studies, according to a report by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI). According to an investigation report released by the ORI last year, all 11 studies co-authored by Girija Dasmahapatra, formerly based at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, will … Continue reading Researcher pegged for misconduct in 11 papers earns 2nd retraction