Search Results for: elsevier

Inquiry into duplications reveals “multiple” image problems in tumor study

A paper on how abnormal stem cells can cause benign bone tumors has been retracted by Cell Stem Cell after an inquiry into image duplications also uncovered “multiple instances of inappropriate western blot image adjustment.” The first two authors “declined” to sign the retraction, according to the notice. Besides confirming initial suspicions that images had been … Continue reading Inquiry into duplications reveals “multiple” image problems in tumor study

Head of major diagnostic lab in Canada steps down amid investigation

A prominent endocrinologist pathologist has resigned from running the largest hospital diagnostic laboratory in Canada following an investigation that has uncovered evidence of falsified data in two papers, Retraction Watch has learned. Sylvia Asa was the Program Medical Director of the Laboratory Medicine Program at the University Health Network, affiliated with the University of Toronto, until this past … Continue reading Head of major diagnostic lab in Canada steps down amid investigation

“Part of a paper that had already appeared”: Materials paper pulled for plagiarism

Microporous and Mesoporous Materials has retracted a 2015 paper after it was discovered the authors “have plagiarized part of a paper that had already appeared.” The paper, “Ionic liquid assisted synthesis of flexible and super-hydrophobic porous gels,” described the synthesis of a form of flexible aerogels “through a facile one-pot preparation,” according to the abstract. According … Continue reading “Part of a paper that had already appeared”: Materials paper pulled for plagiarism

Retraction of monkey paper linked to problems at shuttered research institute

Evidence of poorly treated lab animals has led researchers to retract a 2014 article in Veterinary Pathology that explored the neurological effects of dehydration in squirrel monkeys. The study was pulled after Frederick Wang, the former director of the New England Primate Research Center, unveiled reports of a dozen squirrel monkeys that were found dehydrated and … Continue reading Retraction of monkey paper linked to problems at shuttered research institute

Weekend reads: California universities battle in court for research dollars; fake conferences; fake impact factors

This week at Retraction Watch featured a look at the nuances of replication efforts, aka “the replication paradox,” as well as yet another story of fake peer reviews, this time at Hindawi. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Weekend reads: LaCour loses job offer; new Science data guidelines; Macchiarini grant funding frozen

This week at Retraction Watch saw us report on thousands of retractions from IEEE, which will have a serious effect on retraction record-keeping, a bizarre case of author impersonation, and a look at dentistry in outer space. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Lancet Oncology updates conflicts of interest statement for cancer-cell phone paper

The Lancet Oncology is correcting a 2011 article about the cancer risks of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those from cell phones, to clarify information about potential conflicts of interest for one of the experts who was involved in its preparation. The assessments appeared as a monograph for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). However, after the 2011 … Continue reading Lancet Oncology updates conflicts of interest statement for cancer-cell phone paper

Food fight: Animal nutrition author disputes two retractions

A pair of animal nutrition researchers in India have now had a second paper on the nutritional value of a fungal treatment for wheat straw retracted, and one of the authors is very unhappy about it. M.S. Mahesh of the National Dairy Research Institute at Deemed University claims a co-author issued “abusive letters” to an editor of the journal where the first … Continue reading Food fight: Animal nutrition author disputes two retractions

“Significant overlap” between figures spurs note of concern for 13-year-old retinoblastoma paper

The American Journal of Pathology has posted a note of concern to a 2002 paper about retinoblastoma after discovering two sets of figures “share significant overlap… suggesting that they did not originate from different specimens.” The overlap was “simultaneously brought to the attention of the Editors” by both the corresponding author and a “concerned reader.” The … Continue reading “Significant overlap” between figures spurs note of concern for 13-year-old retinoblastoma paper

Sub-optimal: Industrial optimization paper crushed by author’s “serious error of judgment”

Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, an Elsevier publication, has retracted a 2014 paper by researchers in China and the United Kingdom for data misuse and authorship issues. The article, “Optimization of fluidized bed spray granulation process based on a multiphase hybrid model,” was purportedly written by Dapeng Niu, of the College of Information Science and … Continue reading Sub-optimal: Industrial optimization paper crushed by author’s “serious error of judgment”