Weekend reads: Unscientific peer review; impact factor revolt; men love to cite themselves
The week at Retraction Watch featured a puzzle, and the retraction of a controversial study on fracking. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:
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Authors who lost paper linking fecal transplants to obesity have another retracted
An obesity journal has retracted a study by authors who previously lost another paper that suggested a link between the fecal microbiome and obesity. We first came across on the now-retracted paper in the International Journal of Obesity (IJO) in April when we reported on the authors’ other retraction in Diabetes. The 2014 paper had … Continue reading Authors who lost paper linking fecal transplants to obesity have another retracted
Author, among others, loses four papers for “compromised” peer review
Journals have retracted four papers from an author after uncovering evidence the peer review process had been compromised. Three papers have all common authors. In one notice, issued last month, Annals of Human Genetics said it had reason to believe the paper had been reviewed by unqualified reviewers. Last year, another journal, Molecular Biology Reports, pulled two papers by … Continue reading Author, among others, loses four papers for “compromised” peer review
Weekend reads: Publisher under fire; Canadian scientists demand change; a troubled psychiatry trial
The week at Retraction Watch featured an unwitting co-author and a painful example of doing the right thing. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:
Publishing needs more science, fewer stories: Q&A with founders of ScienceMatters
Ever wish you could just publish an exciting result, without having to wait for the entire string of data that follows in order to tell an entire story, which then gets held up for months by peer review at traditional journals? So do a lot of other researchers, who are working on ways to sidestep … Continue reading Publishing needs more science, fewer stories: Q&A with founders of ScienceMatters
Join our team: Retraction Watch needs a part-time editor
We’re so inundated with story ideas and projects, we need some extra help! Specifically, we’re looking for a part-time editor who can be available during specific hours when we need an extra pair of hands. During that time, you would review tips and write up breaking stories if they arise, as well as edit guest … Continue reading Join our team: Retraction Watch needs a part-time editor
Engineering journal pulls two papers for “compromised” peer review
An engineering journal has retracted two papers for faked or rigged peer review, but authors of one of the papers are objecting to the retraction. The first author of that paper told us he and his co-authors “absolutely disagree” with the retraction, and are prepared to use “legal means” to safeguard their “rights and interests.” He … Continue reading Engineering journal pulls two papers for “compromised” peer review
Coptic cop-out? Religion journal won’t pull paper based on bogus ‘gospel’
What the Harvard Theological Review giveth, it evidently will not taketh away. The venerable publication about religious matters is refusing to retract a 2014 article by a noted scholar of early Christianity despite evidence that the article — about Jesus’s wife — was based on a forgery. The paper, by Harvard theologian Karen King, described … Continue reading Coptic cop-out? Religion journal won’t pull paper based on bogus ‘gospel’
Third party company botched student’s doctoral work, says biologist
A PhD student who was supposed to complete part of an experiment passed the job on to a third party company, which in turn provided figures that were plagiarized and fabricated. That’s according to the corresponding author of the paper, which has now been retracted. Hong Ren, affiliated with Xi’an Jiao Tong University in China, told us that he … Continue reading Third party company botched student’s doctoral work, says biologist
Fraudster loses third attempt to remove 7-year debarment
A U.S. judge has denied a virology researcher’s third attempt to overturn a seven-year debarment from receiving federal funds, following a 2010 decision by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity. The ORI banned Scott Brodie for seven years after concluding he had committed 15 acts of misconduct at the University of Washington. The deception affected … Continue reading Fraudster loses third attempt to remove 7-year debarment