Expressions of regret: group retracts sedation paper for stolen words, data

A group of researchers in China have retracted a 2011 article in Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, the official journal of the Chinese Pharmacological Society, acknowledging that they lifted text and results from a previously published paper from other researchers. The paper was titled “Lipid metabolism disturbances and AMPK activation in prolonged propofol-sedated rabbits under mechanical ventilation.” … Continue reading Expressions of regret: group retracts sedation paper for stolen words, data

Legal medicine journal pulls paper over image goof

Irony alert: The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, which really ought to know better, is retracting a 2012 article by an Australian researcher that threatened to run afoul of…privacy law. The article, “A challenging injury interpretation: Could this be a stab wound?” was written by Les Griffiths, of the Clinical Forensic Medical Unit at … Continue reading Legal medicine journal pulls paper over image goof

Immunology paper retracted because “documents were not archived with due diligence”

A group of researchers from Austria, Canada, Germany, and the U.S. have retracted a 2008 paper in the Journal of Immunology after being unable to verify the contents of some key figures. Here’s the notice:

Slew of retractions appears in Neuroscience Letters

We’re not sure how many you need for a “slew,” but we’ve seen five retractions in Neuroscience Letters recently, most of them because researchers republished translations of papers in English, so we thought we’d round them up in a post. We’ll start the count — appropriately, we think — with the notice for “Simple mental … Continue reading Slew of retractions appears in Neuroscience Letters

Feminist studies journal retracts paper after post-acceptance editing dispute

The journal Feminist Legal Studies has retracted a paper by a controversial Canadian scholar, Sunera Thobani, after the researcher evidently disagreed with post-acceptance edits. Thobani, of the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of British Columbia, became a figure of some international repute for statements in the aftermath of the September 11, … Continue reading Feminist studies journal retracts paper after post-acceptance editing dispute

New study “puts…speculation to rest” about link between XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome

Could this really — and finally — be the end for the alleged link between XMRV, also known as xenotropic murine leukemia-related virus, to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)? The title of the press release announcing a long-awaited study of the subject in mBio is blunt: “Viruses not to blame for chronic fatigue syndrome after all.” … Continue reading New study “puts…speculation to rest” about link between XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome

Unnamed “ethical” lapse leads to retraction of fructose paper

The Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition — the official publication of the Society for Free Radical Research Japan — has retracted a 2012 paper by a group of Turkish authors for some form of misconduct better left unstated. At least, that’s what the notice seems to suggest. The paper, “Effects of coenzyme Q10 and … Continue reading Unnamed “ethical” lapse leads to retraction of fructose paper

Fired Kalasalingam prof Gurunathan’s retraction count stands at eight

We’ve found another retraction for a paper bySangiliyandi Gurunathan, the former researcher at Kalasalingam University in India fired over multiple instances of data fabrication that also caused six Ph.D. students to get kicked out of their program. The retraction was published In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology – Animal in October 2011 but we only … Continue reading Fired Kalasalingam prof Gurunathan’s retraction count stands at eight

University College London mitochondrial biologist resigns after three retractions for image fraud

A biologist at University College London (UCL) has resigned his post and taken responsibility for “inappropriate figures manipulations” in three now-retracted papers. Assegid Garedew, formerly a senior research investigator in Salvador Moncada‘s group, stepped down earlier this summer in the midst of an investigation that should be completed soon, Moncada tells Retraction Watch. The three … Continue reading University College London mitochondrial biologist resigns after three retractions for image fraud

A Wnt-er’s tale: Blood pulls second signaling paper from Spanish scientists over image fakery

Blood has pulled a paper 2007 paper from a group of Spanish researchers, one of whom appears to have been manipulating images. The group’s work became the focus of expressions of concern from the Journal of Clinical Oncology this spring and in 2010. The article, “Epigenetic regulation of Wnt-signaling pathway in acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” purported … Continue reading A Wnt-er’s tale: Blood pulls second signaling paper from Spanish scientists over image fakery