Search Results for: sting

Why traditional statistics are often “counterproductive to research the human sciences”

Doing research is hard. Getting statistically significant results is hard. Making sure the results you obtain reflect reality is even harder. In this week’s Science, Eric Loken at the University of Connecticut and Andrew Gelman at Columbia University debunk some common myths about the use of statistics in research — and argue that, in many … Continue reading Why traditional statistics are often “counterproductive to research the human sciences”

Study about words’ effect on mood to be retracted after investigation finds evidence of data manipulation

A study examining whether the verb tense you use to describe a positive or negative experience influences your current mood will be retracted after a university investigation found the data had been manipulated. By whom is the question — the notice cites an unnamed graduate student as the source of the manipulation, and says the … Continue reading Study about words’ effect on mood to be retracted after investigation finds evidence of data manipulation

Whistleblower gets court backing in defamation case — but at a cost

It’s been a long and winding road for a whistleblower at Indiana University, South Bend. After Mark Fox, a professor of management and entrepreneurship accused two business professors of plagiarism in 2012, a university investigation found one of the two men — Douglas Agbetsiafa, the former chair of the economics department — guilty of plagiarism, and … Continue reading Whistleblower gets court backing in defamation case — but at a cost

Weekend reads: Sabotage in the lab; a lab animal database disappears; PACE authors push back

The week at Retraction Watch featured the launch of the greatest journal ever, and a story about the backlash against widely covered research on why men eat more. Here’s what was happening elsewhere:

Researchers submit two similar papers 8 days apart; one is retracted

After a research group submitted two similar papers only days apart to different journals, one journal has retracted the paper — and told the other it should do the same. The papers, by a group of authors based in Romania, describe a new polymer to stop the formation of biofilms. After a reader flagged the … Continue reading Researchers submit two similar papers 8 days apart; one is retracted

Backlash prompts prominent nutrition researcher to reanalyze multiple papers

To Brian Wansink of Cornell University, a blog post he wrote in November, 2016, was a meant as a lesson in productivity: A graduate student who was willing to embrace every research opportunity submitted five papers within six months of arriving to his lab, while a postdoc who declined two chances to analyze a data set … Continue reading Backlash prompts prominent nutrition researcher to reanalyze multiple papers

High-profile book on North Korea earns 52 corrections

The author of a high-profile book about the history of North Korea is issuing 52 corrections to the next edition, scheduled to appear this spring. The changes follow heavy criticism of the book, alleging it contained material not supported by the list of references. Last month, author Charles Armstrong, a professor at Columbia University, announced on … Continue reading High-profile book on North Korea earns 52 corrections

Geoscience paper pulled over apparent lack of company consent

A 2016 paper has been retracted at the request of a company that provides geoscience solutions because the authors—who are employees of the company—included proprietary information and didn’t obtain proper permission. Often in extenuating circumstances such as publishing something without permission, the article is taken offline. But this article, which according to the retraction notice … Continue reading Geoscience paper pulled over apparent lack of company consent

Do you calculate if you should accept an invite to peer review? Please stop, say journal editors

Scientists are always pressed for time; still, Raphael Didham of the University Western Australia was surprised when he fell upon a group of early career scientists using a spreadsheet formula to calculate whether one was obligated to accept an invitation to review a paper, based on how many manuscripts he’d submitted for review. “I recall … Continue reading Do you calculate if you should accept an invite to peer review? Please stop, say journal editors

Journal retracts paper due to image mismatch; one co-author alleges fraud

Researchers have retracted a biology paper that included an image mismatch — despite the fact that, as they claim, another image in the same paper confirms the original findings. The authors say they plan to resubmit the paper with the corrected figure panel. The second to last author — Carlo Croce, chair of the department of … Continue reading Journal retracts paper due to image mismatch; one co-author alleges fraud