Image manipulation leads to fifth retraction for plant research group

A plant scientist at the Colorado State University has retracted a fifth paper. Here’s the notice for “Influence of ATP-binding cassette transporters in root exudation of phytoalexins, signals, and in disease resistance, a paper originally published in July 2012: The Journal, Chief Editor and the Authors wish to retract the Original Research article cited above … Continue reading Image manipulation leads to fifth retraction for plant research group

Ask Retraction Watch: Can authors republish their own previous work as as review?

Another installment of Ask Retraction Watch: In journal club, we have been discussing a review paper on recent previous publications by the review’s authors. Basically this was a short review summarizing the findings of a few other papers by the same authors on a given topic. The images presented and textual narrative essentially repeated published … Continue reading Ask Retraction Watch: Can authors republish their own previous work as as review?

Sensing a pattern? Pattern Recognition Letters misses rampant plagiarism in modeling paper

It really isn’t fair to pick on Pattern Recognition Letters, but, well, if the shoe fits… We had fun at the expense of the journal the last time we found that a duplicate publication had escaped the editors. This time, plagiarism is to blame. A group of authors from the Institute of Automation at the … Continue reading Sensing a pattern? Pattern Recognition Letters misses rampant plagiarism in modeling paper

Italian cancer specialist facing criminal investigation for misconduct

A leading Neapolitan cancer researcher is under criminal investigation for fraud, the Italian press is reporting. Although we have only rough translations of the story, it seems the researcher, Alfredo Fusco, of the National Council of Research’s Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology, has been accused of manipulating images in published studies and to strengthen … Continue reading Italian cancer specialist facing criminal investigation for misconduct

Cardiology researcher faked data in his prizewinning PhD thesis — and NIH, AHA grants: ORI

Nitin Aggarwal, formerly of the Medical College of Wisconsin, faked data in his PhD thesis, grant applications to the NIH and American Heart Association, and in two papers, according to new findings by the Office of Research Integrity. (The case would have apparently first been published in the Federal Register on October 2, except for … Continue reading Cardiology researcher faked data in his prizewinning PhD thesis — and NIH, AHA grants: ORI

Embryonic stem cell paper retracted for fabrication

Stem Cells and Development has retracted a paper it published earlier this year after the leader of the study reported that the data were unreliable. The paper, “Derivation and Genetic Modification of Embryonic Stem Cells from Disease-Model Inbred Rat Strains,” came from the lab of Aron Geurts, of the Medical College of Wisconsin. According to … Continue reading Embryonic stem cell paper retracted for fabrication

Aoki notches fourth retraction for image problems

We have a fourth retraction in the Journal of Biochemistry for Naohito Aoki, a Japanese researcher and former postdoc in a German lab, whose images have been called into question but whose retraction notices were scant. In this case, however, the journal, while not exactly overbrimming with information about the article, at least gives us … Continue reading Aoki notches fourth retraction for image problems

Virtually verbatim text earns retraction of neonate paper, gives authors a pass

A pair of authors from Italy has retracted their 2012 article in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine for including chunks of text with a “high degree of similarity” from other published sources. But rest assured: the authors, we’re told, didn’t intend to do so. The article, “Central venous catheterization and thrombosis in newborns: … Continue reading Virtually verbatim text earns retraction of neonate paper, gives authors a pass

Dutch anthropologist Mart Bax faked 61 papers, says university

A former anthropologist at the Free University in Amsterdam appears to have made up data for at least 61 papers, and invented awards and other parts of his CV, according to a university investigation. The news was first reported by NRC Handelsblad and the Volkskrant newspaper. Bax, who studied an Irish town he called Patricksville, … Continue reading Dutch anthropologist Mart Bax faked 61 papers, says university

A Cancer Cell mega-correction for highly cited researcher who retracted paper earlier this year

MIT’s Robert Weinberg, a leading cancer researcher who retracted a Cancer Cell paper earlier this year for “inappropriate presentation” of figures, has corrected a different paper in the same journal. Here’s the correction for “Species- and Cell Type-Specific Requirements for Cellular Transformation:” We were apprised recently of errors made in the assembly of Figures 2B, … Continue reading A Cancer Cell mega-correction for highly cited researcher who retracted paper earlier this year