Search Results for: coding error

Psychology researcher explains how retraction-causing errors led to change in her lab

Last month, we brought you the story of two retractions by Yale’s Laurie Santos because the team discovered errors in the way the first author had coded the data. That first author, Neha Mahajan, took full responsibility for the coding problems, according to the retraction notices, and a university investigation cleared her of any “intentional, … Continue reading Psychology researcher explains how retraction-causing errors led to change in her lab

Doing the right thing: Yale psychology lab retracts monkey papers for inaccurate coding

In the midst of the holiday season, it’s a pleasure to be able to share the story of a scientist doing the right thing at significant professional cost — especially a researcher in psychology, a field that has been battered lately by scandal. Sometime after publishing two papers — one in Developmental Science and another … Continue reading Doing the right thing: Yale psychology lab retracts monkey papers for inaccurate coding

Figure error forces retraction of transgenic chickpea paper

The humble chickpea has become one of the world’s most promising cash crops, so it’s no surprise that efforts are underway to make it even more humble, er, profitable, through genetic manipulation. But one group of scientists made hummus out of their approach when they botched what evidently was a key element of a figure … Continue reading Figure error forces retraction of transgenic chickpea paper

“Technical but fundamental errors” lead to retraction of brain tumor paper

The journal Neuro-Oncology has retracted a 2011 paper by a group of researchers in Japan who had purported to find a genetic mechanism for how fluorescence can be used to diagnose certain brain tumors. The paper, “Enhanced expression of coproporphyrinogen oxidase in malignant brain tumors: CPOX expression and 5-ALA–induced fluorescence,” reported measurements using quantitative real-time … Continue reading “Technical but fundamental errors” lead to retraction of brain tumor paper

Influential Reinhart-Rogoff economics paper suffers spreadsheet error

April showers bring … database errors? The other day, we wrote about two retractions in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and another in the American Heart Journal, stemming from database errors. Seems to be catching. The Economist (among other outlets) this week is reporting about a similar nother database glitch — not, … Continue reading Influential Reinhart-Rogoff economics paper suffers spreadsheet error

Pfizer database errors cause two voluminous retractions for JACC statin-biomarker papers

Coding errors in a database maintained by Pfizer have led authors to retract two heart biomarker papers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The two notices, for “Prediction of cardiovascular events in statin-treated patients by lipid and non-lipid biomarkers” and “Plasma PCSK9 levels and clinical outcomes in the TNT (Treating to New … Continue reading Pfizer database errors cause two voluminous retractions for JACC statin-biomarker papers

Chimp ‘culture’ paper retracted after authors spot errors, now has home at another journal

The authors of a 2011 paper claiming that chimp “culture” has more to do with local habitats than with where the chimps live have retracted it after finding mistakes in their work. Here’s the notice for the paper, “Variation in chimpanzee ‘culture’ is predicted by local ecology, not geography:”

Weekend reads: Western publishing at a ‘breaking point’; NIH to cap publisher fees; sleuths say their work is being ‘weaponized’ 

Our list of retracted or withdrawn COVID-19 papers is up past 500. There are more than 60,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which is now part of Crossref. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains more than 300 titles. And have you seen our leaderboard of authors with the most retractions lately … Continue reading Weekend reads: Western publishing at a ‘breaking point’; NIH to cap publisher fees; sleuths say their work is being ‘weaponized’ 

Weekend reads: How NIH is quietly stalling research; integrity concerns found at clinical trial org; experiments in paid peer review

Our list of retracted or withdrawn COVID-19 papers is up past 500. There are more than 58,000 retractions in The Retraction Watch Database — which is now part of Crossref. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker now contains more than 300 titles. And have you seen our leaderboard of authors with the most retractions lately … Continue reading Weekend reads: How NIH is quietly stalling research; integrity concerns found at clinical trial org; experiments in paid peer review

Paper on conversion therapy retracted, authors planning to republish 

A four-year-old paper claiming conversion therapy reduced same-sex thoughts in gay men has been retracted after criticism from other researchers prompted further review of the work. “Efficacy and risk of sexual orientation change efforts: a retrospective analysis of 125 exposed men,” published in F1000Research in March 2021, found conversion therapy (referred to in the paper … Continue reading Paper on conversion therapy retracted, authors planning to republish