Search Results for: images

UK doctor banned from practice after fabricating data in grant applications

A prominent cancer researcher in England has been banned from practicing medicine and has lost his funding from a UK charity after being found to have fabricated data in grant applications. The moves against the researcher, Thorsten Hagemann, come after investigations by the General Medical Council, akin to a U.S. state medical board, and Hagemann’s former … Continue reading UK doctor banned from practice after fabricating data in grant applications

Cell Press dismisses fraud allegations in high-profile genetics papers

Cell Press has dismissed accusations of image manipulation in two well-cited papers.  In June 2015, we reported that the publisher was investigating anonymous allegations of more than a dozen instances of manipulation of images in the papers published in Cell and Molecular Cell in 1999 and 2001, respectively.  After assessing the original high-resolution versions of images from the laboratory notebook of … Continue reading Cell Press dismisses fraud allegations in high-profile genetics papers

Biologist with five-year funding ban earns 7th and 8th retractions

A biologist in New Jersey has retracted two more papers, bringing his total to eight retractions, following a finding by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI). The analysis of the work of John Pastorino, previously a cell biologist at Rowan University, in Glassboro, concluded that he had doctored more than 40 images, resulting in a five-year … Continue reading Biologist with five-year funding ban earns 7th and 8th retractions

Why did a chemistry journal fix fraud with a correction instead of a retraction?

Are some cases of research fraud fixable with a correction notice? A chemistry journal thought so in 2014, when it issued a correction notice for a 2012 paper after the first author admitted to manipulating an image. After an investigation, the publisher agreed the manipulation was a “clear breach” of its ethical guidelines, but decided not to … Continue reading Why did a chemistry journal fix fraud with a correction instead of a retraction?

Researcher denied PhD after “recklessly” committing misconduct

A doctoral student at the University of Houston in Texas will not receive his PhD, following an institutional investigation into his work. Mousa Abkhezr, the researcher in question, is no longer enrolled at the University of Houston, his former supervisor told us. In June, the probe into papers co-authored by Abkhezr resulted in the retraction … Continue reading Researcher denied PhD after “recklessly” committing misconduct

A researcher sued critics of his work. Now he has 13 retractions.

A cancer researcher who sued PubPeer commenters for criticizing his work has lost six more papers, bringing his total to 13 retractions.  Four of the new retraction notices issued by the journal Cancer cite an investigation at Wayne State University in Michigan into the work of Fazlul Sarkar and some of his colleagues. All the new notices, including the other two … Continue reading A researcher sued critics of his work. Now he has 13 retractions.

Researcher whose PhD was revoked is no longer at Harvard lab

A research fellow at Harvard Medical School whose PhD was revoked last month is no longer working in his former lab, Retraction Watch has learned.  An archived version of the lab site for Alfred Goldberg from December, 2015, lists Sudarsanareddy Lokireddy as a postdoctoral fellow; however, Goldberg’s current lab site doesn’t include Lokireddy as a lab member. We contacted Goldberg’s lab, and he was unavailable … Continue reading Researcher whose PhD was revoked is no longer at Harvard lab

Scientist with three retractions settles lawsuit against George Washington University

A researcher whose work has been subject to three retractions and two expressions of concern has settled a lawsuit he filed against his university for breach of contract and emotional distress. Rakesh Kumar had sued George Washington University for $8 million, claiming that his employer had relieved him of department chair duties without following the … Continue reading Scientist with three retractions settles lawsuit against George Washington University

Journal retracts paper for using figures without permission

A plastic surgery journal has retracted a paper after a researcher claimed it contained three figures without his permission. According to Aesthetic Surgery Journal’s retraction notice (which is paywalled, tsk tsk), the figures were reproduced from a paper published in a Chinese journal without the original authors’ knowledge or permission:

Weekend reads: More Impact Factor scrutiny; $10 million fine for overbilling; protected Canadian fraudsters

The week at Retraction Watch featured the loss of a Harvard researcher’s PhD for misconduct, and the harrowing tale of a whistleblower. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: