Journal Editors Research Articles

Editor Profile: Andrey Abramov.

In this special interview series, we profile members of The FEBS Journal editorial board to highlight their research focus, perspectives on the journal and future directions in their field. Professor Andrey Abramov is a cell biologist and biophysicist at University College London's Queen Square Institute of Neurology. He has served as an Editorial Board Member of The FEBS Journal since 2015.

Retraction: 'miRNA-200b improves hepatic fibrosis induced by CCL4 by regulating toll-like receptor 4 in mice'.

The above article, published online on 28 March 2019 in Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcb.28599) has been retracted by agreement between the journal's Editor in Chief, Christian Behl, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed following an investigation based on allegations raised by a third party. Several flaws and inconsistencies between results presented and experimental methods described were found. Thus, the editors consider the conclusions of this article to be invalid. The authors did not respond when asked to collaborate during the investigation and confirm the retraction.

International multi-stakeholder consensus statement on clinical trial integrity

ObjectiveTo prepare a set of statements for randomised clinical trials (RCT) integrity through an international multi-stakeholder consensus.MethodsThe consensus was developed via multi-country multidisciplinary stakeholder group composition and engagement; evidence synthesis of 55 systematic reviews concerning RCT integrity; anonymized two-round modified Delphi survey with consensus threshold based on the average percentage of majority opinions; and a final consensus development meeting. Prospective registrations: (https://osf.io/bhncy, https://osf.io/3ursn).ResultsThere were 30 stakeholders representing 15 countries from five continents including trialists, ethicists, methodologists, statisticians, consumer representatives, industry representatives, systematic reviewers, funding body panel members, regulatory experts, authors, journal editors, peer reviewers and advisors for resolving integrity concerns. Delphi survey response rate was 86.7% (26/30 stakeholders). There were 111 statements (73 stakeholder-provided, 46 systematic review-generated, 8 supported by both) in the initial long list, with eight additional statements provided during the consensus rounds. Through consensus the final set consolidated 81 statements (49 stakeholder-provided, 41 systematic review-generated, 9 supported by both). The entire RCT life cycle was covered by the set of statements including general aspects (n = 6), design and approval (n = 11), conduct and monitoring (n = 19), reporting of protocols and findings (n = 20), post-publication concerns (n = 12) and future research and development (n = 13).ConclusionImplementation of this multi-stakeholder consensus statement is expected to enhance RCT integrity.

Journal News and Editor's Choice Article for May 2024

Journal News and Editor's Choice Article for May 2024

Retraction: "Quercetin improve ischemia/reperfusion-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo study via SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling".

Retraction: "Quercetin improve ischemia/reperfusion-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo study via SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling", by Jiayou Tang, Linhe Lu, Yang Liu, Jipeng Ma, Lifang Yang, Lanlan Li, Hong Guo, Shiqiang Yu, Jun Ren, Heping Bai, Jian Yang, J Cell Biochem. 2019; 120: 9747-9757: The above article, published online on 17 January 2019 in Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcb.28255) has been retracted by agreement between the journal's Editor in Chief, Christian Behl, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed following an investigation based on allegations raised by a third party. Several flaws and inconsistencies between results presented and experimental methods described were found. Furthermore, image elements in Figure 4 were found to have been previously published elsewhere in a different scientific context. Thus, the editors consider the conclusions of this article to be invalid. The authors did not respond when asked to collaborate during the investigation and confirm the retraction.

Retraction: "MicroRNA-205 affects mouse granulosa cell apoptosis and estradiol synthesis by targeting CREB1".

Retraction: "MicroRNA-205 affects mouse granulosa cell apoptosis and estradiol synthesis by targeting CREB1," by Pengju Zhang, Jun Wang, Hongyan Lang, Weixia Wang, Xiaohui Liu, Haiyan Liu, Chengcheng Tan, Xintao Li, Yumin Zhao, Xinghong Wu, J Cell Biochem. 2018; 120: 8466-8474: The above article, published online on 16 December 2018 in Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcb.28133) has been retracted by agreement between the journal's Editor in Chief, Christian Behl, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed following an investigation based on allegations raised by third parties. Several flaws and inconsistencies between results presented and experimental methods described were found. Furthermore, multiple image duplications as well as image elements that were published previously in a different scientific context were found in Figures 2, 3, and 5. Thus, the editors consider the conclusions of this article to be invalid. The authors did not respond when asked to collaborate during the investigation and confirm the retraction.

Withdrawal: Clinical Analysis of Immune-Related Adverse Events in 78 Patients with Advanced Metastatic Lung Cancer Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, published in The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, [10.1002/jcph.2395

The above article, published online on 14th December 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been withdrawn by agreement between the journal Editor in Chief, John van Den Anker, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The withdrawal has been agreed following no response from the author to requests to sign the Journal's publishing license/to requests to approve their article proof for publication.

Shaping the Future of Criminal Justice Education: Insights from ACJS Leadership Survey Analysis

Higher education has been in a time of rapid evolution and significant challenges prior to COVID-19, but a large and continuously growing body of empirical evidence suggests that the pandemic greatly accelerated those trials and brought them to a flashpoint. To our knowledge, the present work is the first post-pandemic to explore perceptions about the future of criminal justice (CJ) education. The present work seeks to address this gap and explore what factors CJ educators and advanced students identify as current and future challenges, concerns, and areas they need training or support. To gauge these perceptions, feedback was solicited from a select group of leaders, students, and journal editorial board members. Results explore priorities surrounding the increasing politicalization of higher education and the field in general, as well as the use of artificial intelligence, attacks on academic freedom, balancing research and teaching responsibilities, creating curriculum relevant to new forms of crime, teaching diverse populations, declining program enrollments, and negative public perceptions about the value of CJ degrees as central concerns. Implications and direction of future research are offered.

Recommendations for the reporting and interpretation of isotope dilution U-Pb geochronological information

U-Pb geochronology by isotope dilution−thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) has the potential to be the most precise and accurate of the deep time chronometers, especially when applied to high-U minerals such as zircon. Continued analytical improvements have made this technique capable of regularly achieving better than 0.1% precision and accuracy of dates from commonly occurring high-U minerals across a wide range of geological ages and settings. To help maximize the long-term utility of published results, we present and discuss some recommendations for reporting ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronological data and associated metadata in accordance with accepted principles of data management. Further, given that the accuracy of reported ages typically depends on the interpretation applied to a set of individual dates, we discuss strategies for data interpretation. We anticipate that this paper will serve as an instructive guide for geologists who are publishing ID-TIMS U-Pb data, for laboratories generating the data, the wider geoscience community who use such data, and also editors of journals who wish to be informed about community standards. Combined, our recommendations should increase the utility, veracity, versatility, and “half-life” of ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronological data.

Retraction: The genomics of mimicry: Gene expression throughout development provides insights into convergent and divergent phenotypes in a Müllerian mimicry system.

Retraction: Stuckert, A. M. M., Chouteau, M., McClure, M., LaPolice, T. M., Linderoth, T., Nielsen, R., Summers, K., MacManes, M. D. (2021). The genomics of mimicry: Gene expression throughout development provides insights into convergent and divergent phenotypes in a Müllerian mimicry system. Molecular Ecology, 30: 4039-4061. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16024. The above article, published online on 19 June 2021 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Loren Rieseberg and John Wiley and Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to the authors' discovery post-publication that they received a combination of Ranitomeya imitator genomic reads and rat genomic reads, which were supplied by a sequencing facility. Following the discovery of the error, the authors informed the journal editors and have re-assembled and re-annotated the supplied genome, re-analysed the repeat content, and rerun their gene expression analyses with the intent of sharing the corrected results. While the results from the gene expression analyses are largely consistent, the correction needed to amend the version of the record requires significant alterations to the published article, which requires the journal to issue a retraction.

Withdrawn: The Influence of Compression Molding Duration on the Properties of Composite Brake Shoes for Railway Application

Withdrawal: The Influence of Compression Molding Duration On The Properties of Composite Brake Shoes For Railway Application, published in Polymer International, PI.6615.ART. The above article, published online on 29 January 2024 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) as an Accepted Article, has been withdrawn by agreement between the journal Editor in Chief, Timothy E. Long, Society of Chemical Industry, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The withdrawal has been agreed at the editorial office's request because of erroneously conduction. © 2024 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

From the Editors: How to Get Your Manuscript Published

Research publication is often challenging for emerging authors, but necessary for them to introduce their research, contribute to the conversation in their field, and advance their field of study. In this article, editors of Defense Acquisition Research Journal (Defense ARJ) offer advice to defense acquisition professionals aspiring to publish in Defense ARJ and point out some caveats in the research publishing process. The editors also explain what kind of papers the journal publishes and summarize how to produce a strong submission. This article discusses Defense ARJ’s guidelines for contributors in more

Preface

The Sharjah International Conference on Physics of Advanced Materials (SICPAM) was held on April 23–25, 2023, on the beautiful campus of the University of Sharjah. It brought together more than 120 scientists from 21 countries. The list of invited speakers included leading scientists, editors of reputable journals, young researchers, and students in the field of material science from Europe, the USA and Asia.Materials have been the key behind major technological breakthroughs throughout history. Their properties can be engineered and optimized to develop specific applications. The transformation of iron into steel ignited the second industrial revolution and the development of railways before the end of the nineteenth century. Similarly, semiconductors enabled the design of solid-state devices that gave birth to modern electronics and the digital revolution (the third industrial revolution).Today, we are witnessing the birth of the fourth industrial revolution with the fast development of generative AI and the production of the first versions of quantum computers. Quantum materials are emerging as the building blocks of quantum technologies.The conference covered a wide range of materials and some of the advanced techniques that are used to investigate their properties, as well as the computational methods that are emerging as very powerful tools for material design and screening for diverse applications, including energy conversion and storage, gas sensing and biosensing, water treatment and desalination, etc.The conference was an enriching experience and an excellent opportunity for many scientists to develop connections and possible collaborations. We would like to express our high appreciations to the University of Sharjah for hosting the conference and members of the scientific and organizing committees who worked hard to make the event a great success that will remain in our memory for a long time.Our sincere thanks go to the sponsors who generously supported the conference, namely: Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).Finally, I would like to address my deepest thanks to the co-Editors who worked tirelessly to ensure that all submitted papers are thoroughly reviewed and the referees’ concerns are properly addressed.Prof. Nouar Tabet, Chairman of the Scientific CommitteeList of Editors, Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee are available in the pdf

On üksainuke keel…

“In today’s world much depends on whether you are able to develop the computer in the direction beneficial for the mother tongue or end up as a speaker of a mega-language,” Mare Kõiva, head of the Department of Folkloristics, founder and chief editor of many journals, a European and Estonian academician, summarises the conversation on the topics of the past, present and future on the eve of her jubilee.

Retraction: "MiR-137 functions as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer by targeting MRGBP".

Retraction: "MiR-137 functions as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer by targeting MRGBP" by Feng Ding, Shuang Zhang, Shaoyang Gao, Jian Shang, Yanxia Li, Ning Cui, and Qiu Zhao, J Cell Biochem. 2018; 4799-4807: The above article, published online on 13 January 2018 in Wiley Online Library (https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.26676) has been retracted by agreement between the journal's Editor in Chief, Prof. Dr. Christian Behl, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed after the authors stated that errors occurred during figure compilation, and that the experimental data in the article could not be verified. The investigation additionally revealed inconsistencies in several image elements. Thus, the editors consider the conclusions of this article to be invalid.

Shaping identities beyond the classroom: The influence of journal editorship on Vietnamese EFL lecturers’ professional development

This qualitative study investigates the impact of journal editorship on the professional identity of Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers. Situated within the unique context of Vietnam’s rapidly evolving EFL educational landscape, the research aims to uncover how the role of a journal editor influences lecturers’ professional self-perception and practices. The study employs a qualitative design, utilizing semi-structured interviews with two Vietnamese EFL lecturers—one male with one year of experience and one female with three years of experience as journal editors. Thematic analysis is used to analyze the data. Four key themes emerge from the study: enhanced professional efficacy, navigating challenges and resilience, expanding professional networks and influence, and integrating global and local perspectives. These themes collectively illustrate the transformative role of journal editorship in shaping professional identities, highlighting increased self-efficacy, resilience, expanded professional networks, and the integration of global and local EFL teaching methodologies.

A simple form could prevent authorship issues in Cochrane manuscripts: A cohort study

AbstractAimWe aimed to investigate authorship issues after the implementation of an authorship declaration form in a Cochrane Review Group.MethodsThe Cochrane Colorectal Group uses an authorship declaration form that consists of three parts: (1) manuscript information, (2) documentation for roles according to the four authorship criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and (3) identification information of individual authors and signed approval. The manuscripts' contact authors were responsible for collecting the forms from all coauthors. This observational cohort study reports on all authorship issues in authorship declaration forms collected from February 2020 to December 2023.ResultsWe received 276/277 authorship declaration forms or replies from authors (response rate 99.6%) from 44 manuscripts, including 52% protocols and 48% reviews. There were authorship issues present in 14/44 (32%) of the manuscripts, and the most common issue was that not all authors fulfilled all four ICMJE authorship criteria. Six gift authors were removed from by‐lines. Issues in nine of the 14 manuscripts were resolved by the author group when informing them about the ICMJE authorship criteria and guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The issues in the remaining five manuscripts were unresolved since the manuscripts were transferred or rejected, thus, ceased to be developed by the Cochrane Colorectal Group.ConclusionAuthorship issues were raised in almost one‐third of manuscripts. Most issues were resolved and six gift authorships were prevented. The awareness of authorship criteria is sharpened when all authors are individually asked to fill out and sign a form. This could help decrease the rate of unethical authorships in Cochrane publications and contribute to more ethical and robust evidence production.

Xiaoyu Hu: Let the data guide you.

Xiaoyu Hu is a professor and director of the Institute for Immunology at Tsinghua University. Her lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the transcriptional, translational, and metabolic mechanisms of the key cell types involved in host defense and inflammatory responses: macrophages and intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). We recently spoke with Xiaoyu about her current work, the benefits of a multidisciplinary team, and how being part of journal editorial boards brings her intellectual stimulation and inspiration for her own lab.

Perspectives of researchers engaging in majority world research to promote diverse and global psychological science.

Journal analyses have documented the historical neglect of research pertaining to the Majority World in psychological science, and the need for inclusivity is clearly articulated to ensure a science that is comprehensive and globally applicable. However, no systematic efforts have explored the perspectives of researchers working with Majority World communities regarding the challenges they experience in conducting and disseminating research and ways to address them. Our aim was to explore these challenges from the perspective of these researchers using an embedded mixed-methods design. Based on responses of 232 researchers who engage in psychological research with Majority World communities (68.1% from Africa, Asia, or Latin America, remaining from the Minority World), we identified challenges in three areas: (a) stemming from an inherent bias against Majority World research, (b) experienced by all researchers, which nonetheless are heightened for those engaging in research with Majority World populations, and (c) specific to researchers affiliated with Majority World institutions. Based on the findings, we recommend journal editorial teams and funding agencies: (a) acknowledge and address the bias inherent in the publication and funding process, (b) recruit editorial team members, program officers, and reviewers from the Majority World, (c) train editorial team members, program officers, and reviewers from the Minority World to thoughtfully evaluate Majority World research, and (d) provide resources for researchers affiliated with Majority World institutions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Letter to the Chief Editor

Dear Chief Editor, It is with great privilege that I pen these words to you, addressing the esteemed journal of our institution, the Annals of PMC. In this communication, I wish to highlight a significant and pressing concern within the realm of scientific journals today — the matter of "Paper Mills." Paper mills refer to organizations that engage in unethical practices related to scientific publishing, such as selling fake scientific manuscripts or offering authorship positions for a fee. These organizations have been identified in various scientific disciplines, and their activities include plagiarism, data fabrication, redundant publications, and copyright breaches. The prevalence of paper mills has led to the retraction of numerous publications, with over 1000 papers identified as originating from paper mills since January 2020. These papers are often associated with fraudulent practices and are typically retracted or labeled with expressions of concern. The International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers has launched a tool to detect papers generated by paper mills, aiming to tackle research fraud. The increasing frequency of retracted papers originating from paper mills poses a challenge for the research community, highlighting the need for new mechanisms to identify and prevent this type of misconduct. Professionals may opt for paper mills for various reasons. One reason is the pressure to publish to achieve academic success, which has led to unethical practices in academia, including the use of paper mills to buy authorship positions or obtain fake scientific manuscripts. Another reason could be the convenience and cost-effectiveness of using paper mills to have work published in reputable journals without going through the rigorous peer review process. Additionally, some professionals may turn to paper mills due to the desire for mass production of papers with a consistent intaglio pattern or to meet specific industry standards. It is important for editors of academic journals to be aware of the potential targeting by paper mills and implement editorial procedures to counteract these fraudulent practices. In my view, paper mills are hazardous for research, unethical, and should be discouraged, as they may promote fake data and may cause defamation of the journal as well as publishing authority and professionals. Therefore, I wish to caution you to be vigilant against such misconduct, as it could jeopardize the reputation of both the journal and the institution. I wish you and the whole editorial team best of luck for this and upcoming issues of the journal. PROF. DR. ZAFAR ALI CHOUDRY (T.I), Vice Chancellor Faisalabad Medical University Faisalabad Pakistan