Anil Potti reprimanded by North Carolina state medical board, as lawsuit settlements surface

There are a few new developments in the case of Anil Potti, the former Duke oncologist who resigned amidst an investigation into clinical trials he was running — and has been forced to retract seven papers, at last count. Over the weekend, The Cancer Letter, which has been out front on this case, noted that … Continue reading Anil Potti reprimanded by North Carolina state medical board, as lawsuit settlements surface

So how often does medical consensus turn out to be wrong?

In a quote that has become part of medical school orientations everywhere, David Sackett, often referred to as the “father of evidence-based medicine,” once famously said: Half of what you’ll learn in medical school will be shown to be either dead wrong or out of date within five years of your graduation; the trouble is … Continue reading So how often does medical consensus turn out to be wrong?

Yes, Virginia, medical writers really do commit plagiarism, says a surgery retraction

Readers may recall a recent post on a study purporting to show that one of the best insurance policies against a retraction is to employ a medical writer. Well, a group of Iranian surgeons did just that. How’d it work out for them? Of course, since you’re reading about this on Retraction Watch, you already … Continue reading Yes, Virginia, medical writers really do commit plagiarism, says a surgery retraction

Want to avoid a retraction? Hire a medical writer, say medical writers

A team of Australian medical writers who  analyzed four decades worth of retractions has reached the conclusion — we trust you’re sitting — that people in their profession are more honest than, well, the rest of us. According to the authors,  articles in the medical literature are substantially less likely than other papers to be … Continue reading Want to avoid a retraction? Hire a medical writer, say medical writers

Georgia (well, the Medical College there, anyway) on our minds for a mysterious retraction

We’re watching a case which appears to involve more than meets the eye. Molecular Endocrinology has retracted a 2010 study by researchers at the Medical College of Georgia. According to the Spartan retraction notice (we added a link):

Researcher whose work was plagiarized haunted by impostor emails

A researcher who posted on LinkedIn about a paper that plagiarized his work says he’s now the subject of an email campaign making false allegations about his articles. In July, we reported that Sasan Sadrizadeh, researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, had his work plagiarized in a now-retracted paper.  “In what seems … Continue reading Researcher whose work was plagiarized haunted by impostor emails

First-time scientific sleuths prompt nine retractions for neurosurgery group

Two Dutch researchers were preparing a review of preclinical animal models for hemorrhagic stroke last July when they stumbled across a disturbing pattern in the literature.  First, they found many more papers on the topic than the 50 or so they expected based on their experience: more than 600.  Also, nearly every study proposed a … Continue reading First-time scientific sleuths prompt nine retractions for neurosurgery group

Weekend reads: Why scientist rankings should be ignored; misconduct claims in court; mining company demands retraction

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? The week at Retraction Watch featured: Our list of retracted or withdrawn COVID-19 papers is up past 400. There are more than 50,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which is now part of Crossref. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains more than 250 titles. And have … Continue reading Weekend reads: Why scientist rankings should be ignored; misconduct claims in court; mining company demands retraction

Journal retracts article for plagiarized images after trying to gag researcher who complained

The journal Cureus retracted an article for plagiarized images after questioning the motives of the researcher who said her images were taken. The researcher, who asked to remain anonymous, first emailed Cureus, an open-access journal Springer Nature acquired in 2022, on August 1. She said she noticed images in the October 2023 paper, “Pediatric Acute … Continue reading Journal retracts article for plagiarized images after trying to gag researcher who complained

Weekend reads: MDMA papers retracted; COVID-19 vaccine paper retracted for the second time; who gets cited more?

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? The week at Retraction Watch featured: Our list of retracted or withdrawn COVID-19 papers is up past 400. There are more than 50,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which is now part of Crossref. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains more than 250 titles. And have … Continue reading Weekend reads: MDMA papers retracted; COVID-19 vaccine paper retracted for the second time; who gets cited more?