A Publisher Wants to Destigmatize Retractions. Here's How
It's no secret that retractions have a stigma, which is very likely part of why authors often resist the move - even when honest error is involved.
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A Publisher Just Retracted 22 Articles. And the Whistleblower is Just Getting Started.
A Publisher Just Retracted 22 Articles. And the Whistleblower is Just Getting Started.
SAGE Publishing is today retracting 22 articles by a materials science researcher who published in two of their journals - but the anonymous reader who brought the problems to their attention…
American Universities Are Addicted to Billionaires
What happened when Jeffrey Epstein funded science and tech? Women were excluded.
How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
New documents show that the M.I.T. Media Lab was aware of Epstein's status as a convicted sex offender, and that Epstein directed contributions to the lab far exceeding the amounts M.I.T. has publicly admitted.
Peer Reviewers Need a Code of Conduct Too
Journals and editorial boards must accept their responsibility to guide positive reviewer behaviour and constructive feedback.
Hundreds of Extreme Self-citing Scientists Revealed in New Database
Some highly cited academics seem to be heavy self-promoters - but researchers warn against policing self-citation.
Misconduct Investigators, Show Your Work
Weighting transparency and confidentiality in scientific misconduct investigations.
'Bad Science': Australian Studies Found to Be Unreliable, Compromised
Hundreds of scientific research papers published by Australian scientists have been found to be unreliable or compromised, fuelling calls for a national science watchdog.
Scandal-weary Swedish Government Takes over Research-fraud Investigations
The Research Misconduct Board is one of the first national agencies tasked with investigating serious research misconduct.
The U.S. Is Purging Chinese Cancer Researchers From Top Institutions
The NIH and the FBI are targeting ethnic Chinese scientists, including U.S. citizens, searching for a cancer cure. Here's the first account of what happened to Xifeng Wu.
The Rise of Junk Science
Fake publications are corrupting the world of research- and influencing real news.
In Swiss Academic Science, Charges of Bullying and Gender Bias
Following charges against a female scientist, some faculty at Switzerland's elite universities say the country has a gender equity problem.
US Science Academy Leaders Approve Plan to Expel Sexual Harassers
The National Academy of Sciences has come under pressure to address misconduct in recent years.
Plagiarizing Names?
A new trend in scientific misconduct involves listing fake coauthors on one’s publication. I trace some of the incentives behind faking coauthors, using them to highlight important changes in global science publishing like the increasingly important source of credibility provided by institutional affiliations, which may begin to function like ‘brands’.
"A New Form of Plagiarism:" When Researchers Fake Co-Authors' Names
There’s a new publishing trend in town, says Mario Biagioli: Faking co-authors’ names. Biagioli, distinguished professor of law and science and technology studies and director of the Center for Innovation Studies at the University of California, Davis, writes that it’s “the emergence of a new form of plagiarism that reflects the new metrics-based economy of scholarly publishing.” We asked him a few questions about what he’s found, and why authors might do this.
#MeToo Controversy Erupts at Archaeology Meeting
Society's new antiharassment policy doesn't include mechanisms for protecting survivors of past abuse if harasser attends meeting.
Education and Science Giant Elsevier Left Users' Passwords Exposed Online
Education and Science Giant Elsevier Left Users' Passwords Exposed Online
Due a to a misconfigured server, a researcher found a constant stream of Elsevier users' passwords.
"I Want a Climate Where Everyone Can Fulfil Their Potential"
The ETH Zurich Executive Board is submitting a request to the ETH Board for the dismissal of a professor, while simultaneously launching a package of measures to improve the quality of leadership and supervision at ETH.
"We Should Treat Each Other with Respect"
ETH Zurich has submitted a request to the ETH Board to terminate the employment relationship with a professor in the former Institute for Astronomy. To avoid as far as possible similar cases from escalating in future, ETH Zurich is adapting its structures and processes.
Indian Payment-for-Papers Proposal Rattles Scientists
Researchers say the policy could intensify existing issues with research quality and misconduct.
COMPare: a Prospective Cohort Study Correcting and Monitoring 58 Misreported Trials in Real Time
COMPare: a Prospective Cohort Study Correcting and Monitoring 58 Misreported Trials in Real Time
This is the first empirical study of major academic journals’ willingness to publish a cohort of comparable and objective correction letters on misreported high-impact studies.
Call for Retraction of 400 Scientific Papers Amid Fears Organs Came from Chinese Prisoners
Call for Retraction of 400 Scientific Papers Amid Fears Organs Came from Chinese Prisoners
Study finds failure of English language medical journals to comply with international ethical standards.
A Guide to Avoiding Predatory Conferences
Predatory conferences (conferences promoted to fraudulently make money from attendance fees) are becoming an increasingly common part of academic life. This post presents the Think. Check. Attend. initiative, which provides academics with an easy to use checklist to ascertain if a conference is legitimate or predatory.
James Watson and the Insidiousness of Scientific Racism
Opinion: Black scientists are in the best position to understand what is so broken about the ideas of Watson and his army.
ETH-Präsident Reagiert Auf Mobbingfall: "Professoren Sollen Führungskurse Absolvieren"
ETH-Präsident Reagiert Auf Mobbingfall: "Professoren Sollen Führungskurse Absolvieren"
Der Mobbingfall an der ETH Zürich veranlasst den neuen Präsidenten Joël Mesot zu einer Massnahme.
Lab Severs Ties With James Watson, Citing 'Unsubstantiated and Reckless' Remarks
In a recent documentary, the Nobel Prize-winning geneticist doubled down on comments he made a decade ago, then apologized for, regarding race, genetics and intelligence.
Surely You're a Creep, Mr. Feynman
#MeToo has not much altered the science professions, and it likely won't until the culture of science is dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up.
Top Retractions of 2018
From a self-sampling scientist to the downfall of a leading stem cell scientist, here's our naughty list.
China Introduces 'Social' Punishments for Scientific Misconduct
Offending researchers could face restrictions on jobs, loans and business opportunities under a system tied to the controversial social credit policy.
What These Medical Journals Don't Reveal: Top Doctors' Ties to Industry
What These Medical Journals Don't Reveal: Top Doctors' Ties to Industry
Academic research publications rely on doctors to voluntarily disclose their payments from drug and health companies in a lax reporting system some say is broken.
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