The scientific community struggles to define the duties of collaborators in assuring the integrity of published research.
When a research output is retracted there can be serious and long lasting impacts on coauthors, even if they weren’t aware of the wrongdoing. This raises the questions: do we need to consistently record the contributions of collaborators; do we need more information when a retraction occurs; and do we need more clarity about the responsibilities of coauthors? Thought provoking stuff.
Appearing in 2007, the paper accrued nearly 40 citations over the next seven years. But in April 2014, the study gained a less favorable mention on PubPeer, a website where users anonymously discuss research articles, often raising possible causes for concern. One user noted that some of the Western blots used to support the paper’s conclusions looked suspicious. In particular, one figure appeared to contain a duplicated and slightly modified part of another image.
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Also see
The Retraction Watch online database