Illinois-based Surgisphere Corporation had a brief moment in the limelight this year following its infamous study of hydroxychloroquine. But the impact of the company’s deception reverberated across world.

The high-profile retractions of two COVID-19 studies stunned the scientific community earlier this year and prompted calls for reviews of how science is conducted, published, and acted upon. The warning signs had been there all along.

BethAnn McLaughlin will step away from the organization after confirming allegations that she posed as @Sciencing_Bi, a fabricated queer indigenous researcher and victim of sexual harassment.

The company behind a now-discredited study on hydroxychloroquine also posted a report that has been cited by Latin American governments recommending ivermectin as a possible coronavirus treatment. Clinicians there say the effects have been extremely damaging.

Criticism of the paper first surfaced in 1994, and its author was accused of scientific misconduct.

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.

Cell biologist Irina Stancheva was dismissed in June 2017 after a scientific misconduct investigation.

Authors of rescinded papers see a 10 percent to 20 percent decline in citation rates for their other publications. 

Several initiatives aim to improve research integrity in the country, but recent high-profile cases of misconduct highlight a lingering problem.