Litigious OSU professor loses appeal in federal defamation case

Carlo Croce, a cancer researcher at The Ohio State University who has had 10 papers retracted and at least as many subject to corrections or expressions of concern, has lost another court appeal. Croce brought the case against Purdue University professor David Sanders in 2017 for statements that Sanders had made in stories in The … Continue reading Litigious OSU professor loses appeal in federal defamation case

Okinawa researcher suspended for faking data denies committing misconduct

Ye Zhang, who as we reported yesterday is serving a six-month suspension from her post at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), in Japan, says she did not commit misconduct, as the school contends.  In response to a query from Retraction Watch, Zhang, a materials scientist, said she did not agree with … Continue reading Okinawa researcher suspended for faking data denies committing misconduct

Researcher to overtake Diederik Stapel on the Retraction Watch Leaderboard, with 61

A construction researcher is watching his publishing edifice crumble, as more upcoming retractions of his papers will bring his total to 61.  Ali Nazari is believed to be a member of a ring of authors whom a whistleblower has claimed are churning out unreliable research — hundreds of papers, according to the sleuth, who goes … Continue reading Researcher to overtake Diederik Stapel on the Retraction Watch Leaderboard, with 61

Former Texas postdoc earns 10-year federal funding ban for faking authors and papers to boost metrics

A former postdoc at the University of Texas Health Science Center has been found guilty of misconduct stemming from efforts to rig preprint servers to boost the postdoc’s publication metrics. The findings about Yibin Lin include the fabrication and falsification of data, as well as plagiarism in six published papers that have since been retracted … Continue reading Former Texas postdoc earns 10-year federal funding ban for faking authors and papers to boost metrics

Here comes the judge, ready to plagiarize your paper

Not long ago, Amy Barnhorst opened an email from the editor of a journal to which she and a colleague submitted, but ultimately pulled, a paper on gun violence.  The cheery note — “thought you two might be interested to see what we came up with” — announced the publication of a recent article in … Continue reading Here comes the judge, ready to plagiarize your paper

Publisher retracting 68 articles suspected of being paper mill products

It appears to be Paper Mill Sweeps Week here at Retraction Watch.  On Tuesday, we reported on an editor who believes one such operation was responsible for the withdrawals of at least two articles in her journal.  Now, the Royal Society of Chemistry is retracting 68 articles, across three of its titles, after an investigation … Continue reading Publisher retracting 68 articles suspected of being paper mill products

Weekend reads: Pollution of COVID-19 research; climate papers lead to reassignment; time to publish less?

Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: “The most horrific time of my career.” What do you … Continue reading Weekend reads: Pollution of COVID-19 research; climate papers lead to reassignment; time to publish less?

Weekend reads: How COVID-19 has changed publications; peer review and women; is ‘manuscript recycling’ OK?

Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Journal becomes “victim of an organized rogue editor network” Researcher … Continue reading Weekend reads: How COVID-19 has changed publications; peer review and women; is ‘manuscript recycling’ OK?

Weekend reads: The backstory of a Nature retraction; an author salutes her favorite review of 2020; vaping-COVID-19 link questioned

Welcome to the first Weekend Reads of 2021. Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Medical writer … Continue reading Weekend reads: The backstory of a Nature retraction; an author salutes her favorite review of 2020; vaping-COVID-19 link questioned

Weekend reads: $1.5 million payout after failure to disclose conflicts; systematic review retractions; entire class penalized for cheating

Before we present this week’s Weekend Reads, a question: Do you enjoy our weekly roundup? If so, we could really use your help. Would you consider a year-ed tax-deductible donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Publisher retracts 14 papers by doctor who ran afoul … Continue reading Weekend reads: $1.5 million payout after failure to disclose conflicts; systematic review retractions; entire class penalized for cheating