ADVERTISEMENT
Magnifying glass over a DNA sequence
A Science Sleuth Accuses a Harvard Medical School Neuroscientist of Research Misconduct
Researchers await the outcome of an ongoing investigation into dozens of instances of alleged image problems spanning 29 publications over a period of 23 years.
A Science Sleuth Accuses a Harvard Medical School Neuroscientist of Research Misconduct
A Science Sleuth Accuses a Harvard Medical School Neuroscientist of Research Misconduct

Researchers await the outcome of an ongoing investigation into dozens of instances of alleged image problems spanning 29 publications over a period of 23 years.

Researchers await the outcome of an ongoing investigation into dozens of instances of alleged image problems spanning 29 publications over a period of 23 years.

image manipulation

An aerial view of the Stanford University campus. Trees surround several buildings with the bell tower in the center.  
Stanford President’s Past Research Under Investigation
Katherine Irving | Nov 30, 2022 | 3 min read
The university’s board of trustees will oversee a probe after allegations of errors and manipulated images in four papers Marc Tessier-Lavigne coauthored. 
the facade of a building. crisscrossed white walls intersect sets of four black windows in a lattice structure, with a cloudless blue sky in the background.
Exosome Scientist Douglas Taylor Stole and Mislabeled Images: Report
Katherine Irving | Nov 23, 2022 | 2 min read
Taylor, formerly of the University of Louisville, is known for his discovery of and research on tumor-secreted exosomes.  
a black pencil with a white eraser on the tip leaves eraser marks on a piece of paper
Nobel Prize Winner Faces Investigation into Paper Integrity
Katherine Irving | Oct 21, 2022 | 2 min read
Seventeen studies coauthored by Gregg Semenza have been retracted, corrected, or raised for concern, and 15 more are currently under investigation.
Temple University flag flying in front of a university building
Journals Investigate Possible Misconduct in Heart Research
Catherine Offord | Sep 13, 2022 | 2 min read
Scientific publishers get involved in a scandal at Temple University that has so far produced one retraction for image manipulation, a university-led investigation, and a lawsuit by one of the researchers involved.
Updated July 27
Magnifying glass in front of a stack of files of papers
PLOS ONE Pulls Five Papers Tied to Alzheimer’s Drug Controversy
Jef Akst | Mar 31, 2022 | 2 min read
The retracted studies were coauthored by a scientist who worked on an Alzheimer’s therapy in development by Cassava Sciences, a company reportedly under investigation for providing falsified data to the FDA.
Illustration of a person confused looking at a computer
When Researchers Sound the Alarm on Problematic Papers
Shawna Williams | Sep 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Finding and reporting an irregularity in a published study can lead people down an unexpected path.
a gavel with a pipet and wellplate
Elisabeth Bik Faces Legal Action After Criticizing Studies
Shawna Williams | May 28, 2021 | 3 min read
A complaint lodged by researchers in France prompts two petitions supporting Bik’s whistleblowing work.
Image of the Day: Tomato Domestication
Amy Schleunes | Mar 30, 2020 | 1 min read
Scientists identify a transcription factor that plays a key role in increased fruit size.
KU Leuven Investigates Whether Stem Cell Scientist Falsified Data
Catherine Offord | Dec 10, 2019 | 3 min read
Papers from Catherine Verfaillie’s lab have been drawing fire for years.
a magnifying glass
Research Institute Investigates Possible Image Manipulation in Papers
Shawna Williams | Jun 11, 2019 | 1 min read
PubPeer commenters have flagged more than 100 papers from branches of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research for apparent image duplication and other issues.
elisabeth bik image manipulation western blot scientific misconduct research integrity
Eye for Manipulation: A Profile of Elisabeth Bik
Adam Marcus, Ivan Oransky, and Retraction Watch | May 7, 2019 | 5 min read
The microbiologist has turned her attention full-time to unearthing problematic figures in papers—for free.
piero anversa lancet retraction
The Lancet Retracts Cardiac Stem Cell Clinical Trial Paper
Kerry Grens | Mar 14, 2019 | 2 min read
The publication of the SCIPIO trial is among many by Piero Anversa’s lab that Harvard Medical School flagged for fraudulent data.
Nature Retracts Paper on Delivery System for CAR T Immunotherapy
Diana Kwon | Feb 20, 2019 | 3 min read
The manuscript had amassed more than 50 comments about problematic figures and data on PubPeer.
Journals Retract 13 Papers from Heart Stem Cell Lab
Kerry Grens | Dec 14, 2018 | 1 min read
It’s the latest fallout from an investigation by Harvard and Brigham and Women’s into work overseen by Piero Anversa.
University College London Geneticist Cleared of Wrongdoing
Jef Akst | Dec 5, 2018 | 1 min read
A second investigation by the school concludes that David Latchman, also the head of Birkbeck, University of London, was not involved in the image manipulation found in papers he coauthored.
Retraction Watch Launches Its Database of Papers
Ashley P. Taylor | Oct 26, 2018 | 2 min read
It includes more than 18,000 papers and conference materials that have been retracted since the 1970s.

Report: Former CNRS President Guilty of Fraud
Jef Akst | Oct 15, 2018 | 2 min read
Anne Peyroche, who was removed as interim head of France’s National Center for Scientific Research in January, committed scientific misconduct, according to the French Academy of Sciences.
Two Plant Biologists Penalized by CNRS in France
Jef Akst | Oct 3, 2018 | 1 min read
Olivier Voinnet and Patrice Dunoyer face consequences for misconduct that led to the retractions of numerous high-profile papers.
Third Retraction for Harvard Cancer Biologist
Katarina Zimmer | Jul 25, 2018 | 4 min read
The move follows two major corrections to a 2011 Nature paper, in which researchers demonstrated that a natural compound selectively kills cancer cells.
ADVERTISEMENT