Search Results for: author ban

Findings of “greatly enhanced” optics turn out to be, well, greatly enhanced

The authors of a paper in Nature Photonics have been forced to walk back their article after learning from another group of researchers that their conclusions likely were an, ahem, optical illusion. The paper, “Greatly enhanced continuous-wave terahertz emission by nano-electrodes in a photoconductive photomixer,” appeared in January 2012 and came from a team led … Continue reading Findings of “greatly enhanced” optics turn out to be, well, greatly enhanced

Oh, the irony: Business ethics journal paper retracted for plagiarism

Is this the new business ethics? In January, we reported on a paper retracted from the Journal of Business Ethics for duplication. That earned the author a five-year publishing ban. This week, we learned of a case of plagiarism in another journal in the field, the Journal of Academic and Business Ethics. Here’s an email … Continue reading Oh, the irony: Business ethics journal paper retracted for plagiarism

And then there were eight: Three more retractions for Alirio Melendez, all in the Journal of Immunology

Alirio Melendez, who has already retracted five papers and was found by one of his former universities to have committed misconduct on more than 20, has three more retractions. Here’s the notice for “Antisense Knockdown of Sphingosine Kinase 1 in Human Macrophages Inhibits C5a Receptor-Dependent Signal Transduction, Ca2+ Signals, Enzyme Release, Cytokine Production, and Chemotaxis,” … Continue reading And then there were eight: Three more retractions for Alirio Melendez, all in the Journal of Immunology

Fresh water paper proves recycled, gets retracted

A Saudi engineer has lost his 2012 paper in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews for plagiarizing from two previously published articles, including one in the same journal. The article, titled “Fresh water production from/by atmospheric air for arid regions, using solar energy: Review,” was written by A.M.K. El-Ghonemy, of Al-Jouf University. According to the retraction notice:

“Highly unethical practices” force four retractions for nanotech researcher

Sanjeeb K. Sahoo, of the Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar, India, has had four papers retracted from Acta Biomaterialia for what the journal is calling “highly unethical practices.” All four notices say the same thing:

Musical figures: PNAS paper corrected with version of “intentionally contrived and falsified” Nature figure

One of the two corrections recommended by a McGill committee for work by Maya Saleh and colleagues has appeared, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). As we reported last month, the committee found that two figures in [a] Nature paper had been “intentionally contrived and falsified.” One of those figures was duplicated … Continue reading Musical figures: PNAS paper corrected with version of “intentionally contrived and falsified” Nature figure

Med student loses paper when former boss claims right to data

As a first-year medical student at the University of California, San Diego, Jessica Tang already has an impressive CV. Her name has appeared on ten papers in the medical literature, including three in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. On one of these she was the sole author. Except that one doesn’t exist anymore. But the … Continue reading Med student loses paper when former boss claims right to data

University of Minnesota swine flu researcher under investigation for alleged misconduct

In late December, we reported on the retraction of a 2010 research letter in Emerging Infectious Diseases looking at the genetics of swine flu. The notice in the journal, a CDC publication, indicated that the conclusions were in error, although it didn’t really say much more: To the Editor: We would like to retract the … Continue reading University of Minnesota swine flu researcher under investigation for alleged misconduct

Mean streets: Expert on lying accuses planning association of ethical lapses

A U.K. urban planner and self-styled expert on “truth and lying” has launched a forceful attack on the ethics of a key trade association, accusing it of refusing to promote his work for fear that the findings might be damaging to the profession. And what, you’re asking, does this have to do with retractions? Trust … Continue reading Mean streets: Expert on lying accuses planning association of ethical lapses

Transplant journal retracts three papers over possible organ trafficking

The journal Experimental and Clinical Transplantation has retracted three papers by a group of Lebanese researchers who appear to have been engaging in illicit trafficking of human kidneys. According to the notice: