Search Results for: stem cell

What if universities had to agree to refund grants whenever there was a retraction?

We’re pleased to share this guest post from Leonid Schneider, a cell biologist, science journalist and a prolific cartoonist whose work graces our Twitter profile and Facebook page. In it, Schneider argues for a new way to ensure accountability for publicly funded research. It has become clear that scientific dishonesty is rarely sanctioned.  In the worst case scenario, manipulated or … Continue reading What if universities had to agree to refund grants whenever there was a retraction?

Retractions follow revelations of misconduct by diabetes biotech

Several months after a drug company cancelled development of a potential diabetes cure because it found evidence that a biotech they had recently acquired had committed misconduct in studies of the drug, two retractions of relevant studies have appeared. The research involves DiaPep277, which, as Josh Levy explained here in September, “would cause the immune system … Continue reading Retractions follow revelations of misconduct by diabetes biotech

“Undeclared competing interest” sinks fish oil takedown by author fined for deceptive claims

The Journal of Lipids has retracted an aggressively negative review article called “Why Fish Oil Fails,” written by one Brian S. Peskin, whose bogus health claims have landed him in plenty of hot water in the past. Here’s the notice:

Image manipulation forces retraction of hepatitis C paper

A group of researchers from Egypt has lost their 2013 article on hepatitis C in the Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry for fudging their figures. The article was titled “In vitro neutralization of HCV by goat antibodies against peptides encompassing regions downstream of HVR-1 of E2 glycoprotein.” According to the abstract:

Dissertation in transition: Plagiarism leads to delisting of education thesis, lost PhD

The author of a doctoral dissertation on veterans education has lost the paper — and a mention of the work in a roster of theses — because he lifted text from a previously published dissertation from a student at another institution. Here’s the notice:

Weekend reads: Nature’s torrent of retractions, peer review’s Golden Rule

Another busy week at Retraction Watch. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Anesthesiologist “con man” apologizes for faking cover-up charges against Australian university

It’s not uncommon for scientists accused of wrongdoing — especially if they’re fired for it — to attempt to muddy the waters by claiming that they are being framed because they had threatened to blow the whistle on others.  Some of those stories have more than a grain of truth to them. Here’s one that … Continue reading Anesthesiologist “con man” apologizes for faking cover-up charges against Australian university

“Lack of experience and understanding” forces duplication retractions of liver cancer paper

A group of researchers in China has lost their paper on liver cancer after the first author admitted to duplication, also known, inelegantly, as self-plagiarism. The paper, “Glycyrrhetinic acid-modified chitosan nanoparticles enhanced the effect of 5-fluorouracil in murine liver cancer model via regulatory T-cells,” appeared in the July 2013 issue of the Journal of Drug … Continue reading “Lack of experience and understanding” forces duplication retractions of liver cancer paper

PLOS ONE retracts breast cancer genetics paper after claim of misappropriated data

PLOS ONE has retracted a 2012 article by a group of breast cancer researchers after another scientist — a leading U.S. oncologist — objected that the data came from his lab. The paper, “GREB1 Functions as a Growth Promoter and Is Modulated by IL6/STAT3 in Breast Cancer,” came from a team composed of researchers at … Continue reading PLOS ONE retracts breast cancer genetics paper after claim of misappropriated data

SAGE Publications busts “peer review and citation ring,” 60 papers retracted

This one deserves a “wow.” SAGE Publishers is retracting 60 articles from the Journal of Vibration and Control after an investigation revealed a “peer review and citation ring” involving a professor in Taiwan. [Please see an update on this post.] Here’s the beginning of a statement from SAGE: