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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 1h

“I have given several scientific talks that included our retraction story,” Greer said of the paper, which was retracted in December 2024. “Audience reaction has been uniformly positive.”

‘Cosmic magnet’ study retracted after cleaning agent wipes away results

Electron diffraction patterns of an alloy before (left) and after (right) cleaning revealed the cleaning agent was was responsible for reflections (circle, right) reported in the original study. O.…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 18h

The top editors of a criminology journal have stepped down after the society in charge of the publication assessed concerns about manuscript review times.

Editors of criminology journal resign amid concern about review times

The top editors of a criminology journal have stepped down after the society in charge of the publication assessed concerns about manuscript review times. The board of the American Society of…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 19h

@timeshighered.bsky.social responds to critics of its rankings methodology.

Protecting the integrity of university rankings

Addressing rare cases of attempted manipulation is built into the DNA of THE’s rankings. But we will go further, says Phil Baty

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 1d

Several organizations are now putting more than $1 million toward reimagining hiring, promotion and tenure at U.S. universities.

$1.5 million program targets changes to academic incentives

The incentive systems that drive academic research underlie nearly every story we write: publication counts for promotion, pressure to produce positive results, hitting certain metrics, and so on. …

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 3d

A Wiley journal has retracted a paper more than a year after a researcher reported the work was hers and had been stolen by a reviewer for another journal.

Wiley retracts study stolen by reviewer, following Retraction Watch coverage

A Wiley journal has retracted a paper more than a year after a researcher reported the work was hers and had been stolen by a reviewer for another journal. As we reported in July, Shafaq Aftab, now…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 4d

Weekend reads: Science publishing a ‘hot mess’; AI microscopy ‘indistinguishable’ from real; social media as a bellwether for retractions

Duke scientists lose eight papers for alleged image manipulation Sleuth unearths citation, authorship issues at earth sciences journal Former student who ran paper mill up to 11 retractions Journal…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 4d

We don’t know if it’s the fastest retraction ever, but the speed is nonetheless notable: A journal retracted a paper 22 hours after a sleuth raised concerns about the article.

Journal issues speedy retraction in less than a day for ‘inadvertent mistake’

We don’t know if it’s the fastest retraction ever, but the speed is nonetheless notable: A journal retracted a paper 22 hours after a sleuth raised concerns about the article. On August 9 jus…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 5d

In which our Ivan Oransky calls academic publishing a "hot mess."

Scientific Publishing Industry Faces Federal Scrutiny

Federal officials are raising long-standing concerns with research journals and the academic incentive structures propping them up. But experts say the government alone can’t overhaul the industry.

www.insidehighered.com

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 6d

A former bioinformatics student who operated a paper mill while at the University of Manchester has lost another paper, bringing his total to 11 retractions.

Former student who ran paper mill up to 11 retractions

Sameer Quazi A former bioinformatics student who operated a paper mill while at the University of Manchester has lost another paper, bringing his total to 11 retractions. Sameer Quazi had bee…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 7d

Made-up citations can indicate the use of generative AI in crafting the paper – but another detail caught his attention as particularly odd: The researchers on the paper, a study on the transformation of the Brazilian coastline, all listed affiliations in India.

Sleuth unearths citation, authorship issues at earth sciences journal

Carlos Conforti Ferreira Guedes, a geology professor at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil, came across a paper in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences earlier this year with irrele…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 8d

Eight papers by two emeritus researchers from @Duke University have been retracted in recent months for alleged image duplications. Although the researchers had worked at the university for decades, Duke officials have not responded to repeated inquiries about the retractions.

Duke scientists lose eight papers for alleged image manipulation

Salvatore Pizzo Eight papers by two emeritus researchers from Duke University have been retracted in recent months for alleged image duplications. Although the researchers had worked at the univers…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 10d

Do Journalists Update Retracted Science News?

"Results show that retractions, and formal expressions of concern issued to scientific papers, serve as impetus for the update of news, but that this is still a rare journalistic practice."

Do Journalists Update Retracted Science News?

In recent years, retractions of scientific papers have been rising. Most retractions invalidate scientific claims and should not be used as sources of information. Retractions may directly affect k...

www.tandfonline.com

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 11d

Weekend reads: U.S. EPA tells scientists to stop publishing; ‘unreliable’ Tylenol research; Alzheimer’s paper retracted

University email addresses no longer effective bulwark against fake peer review Study on apple cider vinegar for weight loss retracted after many raise concerns Second study using ‘Tin Man Syndrome…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 11d

Taylor & Francis has threatened legal action against an online group that has made allegations, based largely on vague insinuations rather than evidence, about the publisher and a member of its research integrity team.

Taylor & Francis threatens legal action against anonymous group’s ‘highly defamatory’ claims

Taylor & Francis has threatened legal action against an online group that has made allegations, based largely on vague insinuations rather than evidence, about the publisher and a member of its…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 12d

@plosone.org has retracted a paper linking vitamin D levels and COVID-19 morbidity three years after a critic flagged the data in the study as “deeply bizarre.” The authors objected to the retraction, with one calling it “outrageous” and pointing to flaws in the published notice.

Authors defend retracted paper on vitamin D and COVID-19 critic called ‘deeply bizarre’

PLOS One has retracted a paper linking vitamin D levels and COVID-19 morbidity three years after a critic flagged the data in the study as “deeply bizarre.” The authors objected to the retraction, …

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 13d

Math has publication fraud, too.

For a long time, mathematicians thought that as long as they keep away from predatory journals or paper mills, the problem does not affect them. This turned out to be wrong.

Math has publication fraud, too

Ilka AgricolaCredit: Thorsten Richter Scholarly publishing in mathematics is unlike many other fields, marked by fewer papers, fewer coauthors per paper and fewer citations. But that doesn’t mean t…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 14d

Easy fixes for complex health problems can be tempting — but they rarely pan out. That seems to be the case for the investigators on one clinical trial who claimed consuming apple cider vinegar caused obese teens and young adults to lose weight.

Study on apple cider vinegar for weight loss retracted after many raise concerns

Pranithan Chorruangsak/iStock Easy fixes for complex health problems can be tempting — but they rarely pan out. That seems to be the case for the investigators on one clinical trial who claimed con…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 14d

Just as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the first of 14 books in a series, our recent coverage of a paper on “Tin Man syndrome” seems to have sequels.

Second study using ‘Tin Man Syndrome’ X-ray under scrutiny following Retraction Watch inquiry

An altered image posted as an April Fool’s joke (left) was used as a figure (right) in a 2021 paper in Scientific Programming. Just as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the first of 14 books in …

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 15d

"Although representatives of the administration suggested they would uplift gold-standard science, they have sidelined experts, ignored evidence and spread disinformation."

via @thetransmitter.bsky.social

Autism experts question HHS statements on Tylenol, leucovorin

Concerns include the administration’s reliance on weak, correlational evidence rather than established research…

www.thetransmitter.org

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 15d

If you're a journal or publisher using institutional email addresses to verify the identity of authors or reviewers, you'll want to read this story by @joelving.bsky.social.

University email addresses no longer effective bulwark against fake peer review

To guard against identity theft, academic publishers have been using institutional email addresses to verify authors and reviewers are who they say they are. Now, however, findings appearing in a p…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 17d

"The researchers were told that unless scientific journals had already returned proofs — the final step in the academic publication process — the studies would be subject to a new review process, the two employees said."

EPA tells scientists to stop publishing studies, employees say

Staff from the EPA’s Office of Water were summoned to a town hall meeting this week and told to pause the publication of most research, pending a review.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 18d

Weekend reads: Vaccine contamination paper under investigation; Harvard sues Gino for falsifying evidence; fugitive scientist arrested

Drummond Rennie (1936-2025): A towering figure in medical journals in his own words Exclusive: Journal bans drug safety database papers as they flood the literature Why has this microRNA review pap…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 18d

A professor of physics in Iraq was permanently dismissed last week after a government investigation found he orchestrated a massive fraudulent publishing scheme involving hundreds of thousands of dollars paid into his bank account by unwitting researchers.

An exclusive from @joelving.bsky.social.

Exclusive: Iraqi physicist fired by ministry over massive publishing scam

Oday A. Al-Owaedi A professor of physics in Iraq was permanently dismissed last week after a government investigation found he orchestrated a massive fraudulent publishing scheme involving hundreds…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 19d

The move comes as the U.S. body tasked with making recommendations for vaccine use is scheduled to consider the safety of COVID-19 shots, and two of the study’s authors say their findings will be discussed.

Publisher investigating DNA contamination paper that authors say CDC vaccine committee will consider

The publisher Taylor & Francis is investigating concerns raised on PubPeer about a paper claiming to find DNA contamination in COVID-19 vaccines beyond regulators’ recommended amounts. Th…

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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 20d

Why has this microRNA review paper been cited more than 2,000 times?

Our Sleuth in Residence @drg.bsky.social digs in

Why has this microRNA review paper been cited more than 2,000 times?

Earlier this year, Marc Halushka, a pathologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, came across a review titled simply “MicroRNA,” an unusually short title in a big field. Looking deeper into the re…

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