Authorship dispute topples anesthesia paper

An authorship dispute between a pair of Egyptian physicians has led to the retraction of their 2012 article on anesthetic technique for laparoscopic colon surgery. The article, “General anesthesia versus segmental thoracic or conventional lumbar spinal anesthesia for patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy,” appeared in Anesthesia Essays and Researches — a publication of the Pan Arab Federation … Continue reading Authorship dispute topples anesthesia paper

Analyze this! Analytical Letters retracts chemistry paper for authorship misdirection

Analytical Letters has retracted a 2011 article by a chemistry researcher at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, who seems to have avoided giving credit where credit was due. The article, “Conducting Polymer Matrix Poly(2,2′-bithiophene) Mercury Metal Incorporation,” was written (so readers were told) by Suzanne Lunsford. Here’s how the retraction notice explains it:

Study on douches and delivery retracted for authorship issue

The Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease is retracting a paper it published online in April by a group of Egyptian researchers in the wake of a dispute they couldn’t resolve. The article, “The Patterns and Criteria of Vaginal Douching and the Risk of Preterm Labor Among Upper Egypt Women,” came from a team at … Continue reading Study on douches and delivery retracted for authorship issue

“This publication should be ignored”: Authorship issues, flawed data fell neuro-oncology paper

The Journal of Neuro-Oncology wants you to ignore the following paper: “A single chain (scFv425):sTRAIL fusion protein with specificity for the EGF receptor is effective in vitro but not in an in vivo brain tumor animal model.” The 2007 article, from a group in The Netherlands, suffered from two fatal problems. According to the retraction … Continue reading “This publication should be ignored”: Authorship issues, flawed data fell neuro-oncology paper

Bitter authorship issues prompt Expression of Concern in rheumatology journal

A difficult authorship dispute, involving two journals and at least two continents, has led to an Expression of Concern in the Brazilian Journal of Rheumatology. Here’s the Expression of Concern:

Should Iran have nuclear power? Paper addressing question retracted for authorship issues

When Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews accepted a paper last year arguing that nuclear power is Iran’s “assured right,” the editor, Lawrence Kazmirski, thought the article would be at least somewhat controversial. He was right — but for the wrong reason. Shortly after publication, Kazmirski,  director of the National Center for Photovoltaics at the National Renewable … Continue reading Should Iran have nuclear power? Paper addressing question retracted for authorship issues

How good are journals at policing authorship?

One of the most contentious issues in scholarly publishing is authorship. Sometimes there’s forgery involved, but most of the time the tension is more mundane but also more pernicious: Researchers who did most of the work wondering why “honorary” authors suddenly appear on papers, or wondering why their own names didn’t appear. Journals, it would seem, are … Continue reading How good are journals at policing authorship?

Lab squabble leads to retracted correction over authorship in British Journal of Haematology

Here’s a he said-he said that left one author with a publication, then nothing, and us scratching our heads. In March 2010, the British Journal of Haematology issued a rather straightforward correction regarding a 2007 article by a group of researchers from Kansas Kansas City, Missouri. The glitch? The manuscript evidently left out an author: … Continue reading Lab squabble leads to retracted correction over authorship in British Journal of Haematology

Two murky retractions in Chemosphere for authorship issues

The journal Chemosphere has retracted two papers over authorship concerns. The problem is, we don’t really know what those concerns are. Here’s one notice:

Ghost authorship? Two Meccanica retractions as an author’s work is plagiarized by disappearing scientists

About two years ago, Marc Duflot, a research engineer at Cenaero, heard a disturbing tale from a collaborator. The collaborator, it seemed, had been asked to review a paper submitted to a journal, and noticed that it was remarkably similar to a paper by Duflot. Duflot’s collaborator recommended that the journal reject the paper, and … Continue reading Ghost authorship? Two Meccanica retractions as an author’s work is plagiarized by disappearing scientists