Scientific Misconduct Research Articles

Integrity and Misconduct, Where Does Artificial Intelligence Lead?

ABSTRACTThis paper, part of the third stage of the Harbingers project studying early career researchers (ECRs), focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on scholarly communications. It concentrates on research integrity and misconduct, a ‘hot’ topic among the publishing community, in no small part due to the rise of AI. The interview‐based study, supported by an extensive literature review, covers a convenience sample of 91 ECRs from all disciplines and half a dozen countries. It provides a new and fresh take on the subject, using the ‘voices’ of ECRs to describe their views and practices regarding integrity and misconduct. We show that ECRs are clearly aware of research misconduct and questionable practice with three‐quarters saying so. A big indictment of the scholarly system, but, not surprising given a rising number of retractions and questionable journals. The main blame for this is levelled at the haste with which researchers publish and the volume of papers produced. ECRs also feel that things are likely to get worse with the advent of AI. They believe that they are aware of the problems and how to avoid the pitfalls but suspect that things are approaching a cliff‐edge, which can only be avoided with strong policies and an overhaul of the reputational system.

Study of Research Misconduct Using an Analytical Approach to the Research System of Medical Sciences

Since research misconduct can be considered as an adaptive reaction against the limitations, pressures, and demands arising from inappropriate functions of the research system, to manage it, the activities of the research system should be investigated and traced during the path of transferring research policies (macro level) to research development programs in institutions (meso level) and research implementation by researchers (micro level). By introducing the macro-meso-micro analytical framework, this study clarified the tasks, strategies, and activities formed at three levels of the research system of medical sciences in Iran; from macro policies of research (macro) to operational plans for the development of research in universities and research centers (meso) and researchers as research conductors (micro). For this purpose, three analytical levels of the research system were explained and defined according to the assumptions of this framework. By performing a qualitative content analysis of the relevant texts, those activities that could be useful at different levels to support the research integrity were identified and presented as different strategies. The results showed that the research system, based on the existing analytical framework, is not seen as a mere macro-system without regard to the interaction of its parts, but rather a system in which there is cross-sectional influence and interaction among the components. This approach can improve the focus, clarity, and capability to study research misconduct, and by using micro, meso, and macro levels, it can trace challenges in the interactive path of various activities and functions of the research system and their intertwining.

From Germany to the world: analysis of 25,931 documents (from 1873 to 2025) published in Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology.

Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology has been a prominent journal in pharmacology since its inception in 1873, contributing significantly to experimental and clinical pharmacology, as well as toxicology. Despite its origins as the official journal of the German Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, there is a commonly held assumption that it predominantly publishes research from Germany. This study challenges that notion by examining the journal's publication dynamics over time, including the historical output, international participation, and regional contributions. The analysis of 25,931 documents indexed from 1873 to 2025 reveals a significant increase in global engagement, with contributions from 104 countries. While Germany remained the leading contributor until 2020, a decline in its share of publications is observed, with countries like China, India, and Iran surpassing Germany in recent years. The study demonstrates the journal's growing international influence and its evolution into a globally recognized platform for pharmacological research. In parallel with its increasing international reach, the journal has distinguished itself through an active commitment to academic integrity and ethical publishing. Initiatives such as post-publication image reviews, retractions of fraudulent articles, and mandatory AI disclosure policies reflect its proactive stance against scientific misconduct. Furthermore, its support for gender equity and historical accountability-evident in studies on editorial diversity, and award disparities-underscores its role as a pharmacological journal with a conscience. Together, these findings highlight both the geographic diversification and ethical leadership of a journal shaping pharmacological science on a global scale.

Fraudulent Research Falsely Attributed to Credible Researchers—An Emerging Challenge for Journals?

Fraudulent Research Falsely Attributed to Credible Researchers—An Emerging Challenge for Journals?

Retracted vs non-retracted obstetrical randomized trials: Which quality criteria are most associated with retraction for untrustworthiness?

Randomized control trials (RCTs) are an essential pillar of scientific knowledge and medical practice, and their integrity has important implications for reliable systemic reviews and meta-analyses. However, the number of article retractions due to falsified data and scientific misconduct has increased in recent years. In response, the scientific community has pursued the creation of quality criteria that can be utilized to promote trustworthiness. After a quality criteria checklist was created by a team of experts, retracted and nonretracted studies were evaluated for adherence to assess the checklist's usefulness and identify potential pitfalls. Retracted studies published in obstetric literature and retracted between 1994-2024 were identified using the online Retraction Watch Database. A previously created database of non-retracted obstetric RCTs published between 2018-2020 was used for the control group. A total of 173 studies were identified, 136 non-retracted and 37 retracted. Overall, 13 of 17 (76.5%) criteria were statistically different between retracted and non-retracted articles. A cutoff of≤11 total quality criteria granted 94.9% (95% CI, 89.7-97.9) sensitivity and 78.4% (95% CI, 61.8-90.2) specificity in distinguishing non-retracted from retracted studies. Retracted studies were significantly less likely to adhere to the 17-quality criteria checklist compared to non-retracted studies, providing useful insight to peer-reviewed scientific journals about what to evaluate for in an RCT manuscript prior to publication. The authors recommend that journal editors play close attention to criteria related to research ethics, data falsification, and risk of bias.

From science communication to systemic public deception: The case of the ITER big science project.

This commentary reviews conflicts of interest which science mediators may encounter in their professional activities within the field of public communication of science and technology. The case of the ITER project (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) illuminates how political decisions, public affairs, management pressures and scientific misconduct may undermine communication and the course of public scientific research. Although some of these issues specifically stem from the fact that the ITER project supports a 'political technology', they broadly reflect, perhaps in a caricatural mode, pathologies from which most research organisations and public science projects may suffer. Clearly, these problems have implications that go well beyond science communication. Scientific research today is carried out in organisations which have policy-related, strategic and even political objectives. Furthermore, science and technology are today highly competitive fields, inching increasingly closer to business and politics. This situation may encourage managers to act in a way that is far removed from the level of integrity we have come to expect in the scientific world. Therefore, professional integrity - not just scientific integrity - must be explicitly covered by employee contracts, and staff regulations and codes of conduct of scientific organisations and public research projects are needed to protect the integrity of science as a whole.

Retraction notice to "UV light assisted photocatalytic degradation of textile waste water by Mg0.8-xZnxFe2O4 synthesized by combustion method and in-vitro antimicrobial activities" [Environ. Res. 204 (2022) 111917

Retraction notice to "UV light assisted photocatalytic degradation of textile waste water by Mg0.8-xZnxFe2O4 synthesized by combustion method and in-vitro antimicrobial activities" [Environ. Res. 204 (2022) 111917

Retraction notice to "Green synthesis and characterization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using leaf extract of Pouteria campechiana and larvicidal and pupicidal activity on Aedes aegypti" [Environ. Res. 200 (2021) 111333

Retraction notice to "Green synthesis and characterization of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using leaf extract of Pouteria campechiana and larvicidal and pupicidal activity on Aedes aegypti" [Environ. Res. 200 (2021) 111333

Research Misconduct in Chinese Universities: Towards an Emotional Analysis

Abstract Studies about the causes of research misconduct focus on a limited range, and negative emotions are an omitted but critical area. By utilizing theories from sociology and criminology of emotions, the current study adopts an emotional aspect to analyze researchers’ academic integrity issues in Chinese universities. Particularly, it examines how working stress, caused by the aggressive implementation of national policies for chasing more influential academic publications in top domestic and international journals, influences faculty members’ emotional feelings, arguing that due to worries about job security and a lack of means to release negative emotions, some scholars may choose to engage in misconduct to cope with, seeing it as reasonable and acceptable. The author adopts a qualitative approach (i.e., in-depth interviews and content analysis of official documents) for data collection and analysis. This study contributes to the study of research misconduct because it provides an emotional aspect to analyze the causes of such deviance in academics. It does not aim to defend wrongdoers’ breaching academic integrity; it provides a new angle to analyze the causes of research integrity issues.

Meta-analysis of Genuine and Fake p-Values

Sir Ronald Fisher, considering it important to consistently obtain significant p-values to support an experimental hypothesis, and thus replicating experiments to yield independent p-values, was one of the first to carry out a meta-analysis of p-values to obtain an overall decision. Suspecting also that Mendel only reported the results that closely agreed with the hereditary laws that Mendel wanted to establish, Fisher denounced the research malpractice, eventually scientific fraud, of researchers replicating experiments with the intent of reporting the best results, in his words “too good to be true”, to support their expectations or claims. On the other hand, publication bias, which largely results from published studies showing evidence of an effect, is a source of temptation to repeat experiments, especially when the first one carried out does not provide a significant p-value that favors its publication. Therefore, if the minimum of two independent “genuine” Uniform(0,1) p-values is reported to increase the chances of publication, it is a “fake” Beta(1,2) p-value, and its use in a meta-analysis changes the distributions of combined tests for genuine p-values. Mendel random variables, useful for modeling mixtures of genuine and fake p-values, are studied in detail, as well as their use in testing independence versus correlation of p-values. In addition, an example shows the usefulness of tables with critical values that consider the existence of a small proportion of fake p-values, to reach an overall informed decision when carrying out a meta-analysis of independent p-values with commonly used combined tests.

Managing Multi-Institutional Jurisdiction in Cases of Research Misconduct.

Multi-institutional scientific research projects are increasingly common. Nevertheless, regulations and guidelines do not yet adequately address which entity should assume responsibility for research misconduct proceedings in multi-institutional research. This article explores the challenges of determining jurisdictional roles in research misconduct matters in collaborative science and proposes the application of a "jurisdictional interests test" as a framework for determining jurisdiction in multi-institutional research misconduct proceedings.

The role of senior researchers in promoting good science: Obstacles and enablers

This essay examines senior researchers’ professional responsibilities in fostering ethical research practices within their teams, as outlined in the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. Senior researchers have an important role in preventing research misconduct and promoting a supportive academic environment. However, pressures within academia - particularly the ‘publish or perish’ culture - can lead to stress and potentially unethical practices, including power misuse, exploitation, and neglect of supervisory responsibilities. This essay explores the challenges senior researchers face in fulfilling their responsibilities and highlights a ‘slow science’ approach and targeted training to prioritize quality over quantity and to promote better supervision practices.

The justified limits of transparency in research misconduct reports

ABSTRACT In this article, I explore the idea of increased transparency in the context of research misconduct. I begin with a brief introduction of how increased transparency across the research enterprise has gained momentum and shepherded in the current Open Science movement. I then introduce general endorsements for greater transparency within research misconduct, which propose that increased transparency will achieve a range of aims. Using existing taxonomies of transparency, I break these general endorsements down into more specific mechanisms of transparency, and in doing so exhibit the wide range of forms and structures that transparency can take. Following this, I argue that while transparency for purposes such as quality improvement or third-party auditing may be justifiable, public-facing transparency for the purposes of trust-building and accountability generates unique concerns and requires more evidence to justify. In detailing these concerns, I argue for greater caution and consideration of the epistemic and practical effects of public transparency with research misconduct reports and point out a disanalogy between Open Science and matters of research misconduct. I ultimately conclude that research misconduct proceedings and reports ought not default to public-facing transparency without further evidence to support that such an effort would achieve their intended aims.

Defamation Claims Arising from Research Misconduct Cases: Best Practices for Institutions.

Researchers involved in research misconduct proceedings are increasingly threatening or bringing legal defamation claims against the institutions, complainants, and publications involved in the proceedings. Although defamation claims do not often succeed, they can nevertheless be costly and lengthy. This article analyzes certain defamation cases in the research misconduct space and provides advice for institutions and other involved parties seeking to minimize potential defamation liability associated with research misconduct proceedings.

The examination of asset misappropriations in managers’ workplaces using hexagon’s fraud and the moderating impact of perceived strength of internal control

Purpose This study aims to investigate the prevalence of asset misappropriation in managers’ workplaces. Relying on fraud hexagon theory as the theoretical framework, the study examines the effect of pressure, opportunity, rationalization, capability, ego and collusion on asset misappropriation while controlling for the impact of the perceived strength of internal control (PSIC). Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative method through a survey administered to finance managers working at multinational companies in Indonesia. A total of 173 respondents participated in this study. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling-partial least squares. Findings The findings show that the six elements of Hexagon’s fraud do not fully trigger asset misappropriation; only pressure, capability and ego significantly influence it. Additional evidence suggests that the PSIC weakens the impact of three components of Hexagon’s fraud – pressure, capability and ego – on asset misappropriation. This shows that internal control can be used as an anti-fraud strategy in managers’ workplaces. Originality/value Theoretically, this study represents a pioneering effort in empirically confirming the relevance of the fraud hexagon theory within the field of fraud research. Moreover, it enhances the understanding of occupational fraud by investigating the less-explored domain of asset misappropriation. Additionally, the study underscores the crucial significance of internal controls in reducing occurrences of asset misappropriation in managers’ workplaces.

A Comparative Study on the Construction of Research Integrity in Public Medical Universities/Colleges in China: 2020–2024

The medical field is highly susceptible to research misconduct, making research integrity in medical universities and colleges crucial for its prevention and management. While both Chinese and international researchers have conducted extensive studies on fostering research integrity in higher education institutions, comparative analyses focusing specifically on medical universities and colleges in China remain insufficient. To address this gap, this study examines the state of research integrity construction in 83 Chinese public medical universities/colleges during 2020 and 2024, exploring the underlying factors influencing this development. The findings indicate that research integrity initiatives in Chinese medical universities and colleges are predominantly reactive, driven by compliance with government regulations and mandated tasks, rather than proactive, guided by intrinsic awareness and moral commitment. These results underscore the need to go beyond addressing Two-Points to emphasize Key-Points, advocating for a greater role of scientific autonomy in shaping research integrity, as opposed to reliance on government oversight.

Академический дискурс на стыке эпох: редактирование между традицией и искусственным интеллектом

This research aims to determine the main directions in the development of editorial and publishing practices in the Russian academic environment and to trace the changing role of the editor in the scientific communication system over a significant historical period – from the 18th century to the first quarter of the 21st century. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the identification and scientific description of stable models of transformation of the editorial function in domestic scientific discourse, previously not represented in linguistic research. It is shown for the first time that the function of the scientific editor has undergone systemic changes related not only to technological development and digitalization, but also to changes in conceptual frameworks. It is established that in the context of the integration of artificial intelligence, editorial activity acquires new semiotic and ethical parameters, and the editor plays the role of a mediator between the author, the text, and the academic community. The article briefly characterizes the current trends that determine changes in editorial activity, including the influence of historical transformations in society, technological progress, scientometrics, and digitalization. Particular attention is paid to the challenges associated with scientific misconduct and the limitations of digital platforms. The results obtained showed that despite the widespread introduction of automated systems, as well as artificial intelligence, in publishing in general, and in editorial activities related to academic publications, in particular, the participation of a qualified editor remains a necessary condition for compliance with publication ethics, ensuring scientific reliability, logical structure, and linguistic accuracy of texts.

RETRACTION: Downregulation of miR-122 in the Rodent and Human Hepatocellular Carcinomas.

H. Kutay, S. Bai, J. Datta, T. Motiwala, I. Pogribny, W. Frankel, S. T. Jacob, and K. Ghoshal, "Downregulation of miR-122 in the Rodent and Human Hepatocellular Carcinomas," Journal of Cellular Biochemistry 99, no. 3 (2006): 671-678. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.20982. The above article, published online on 30 June 2006, in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Christian Behl; and Wiley Periodicals LLC. An investigation of alleged research misconduct by The Ohio State University found evidence that false data was included in Figure 4 A by using the 5S RNA Northern blot data for human HCC (tumor (T) and Normal (N) cells) between this article and Figure 2 in another article by many of the same authors (Meng et al. 2007 [https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2007.05.022]). The investigation confirmed that the 5S RNA data in this article was flipped horizontally as compared to the T/N samples in Meng et al. 2007. An investigation by the publisher also confirmed the evidence of image duplication and manipulation. This retraction has been agreed to because the evidence of image duplication and manipulation compromises the integrity of the study and the conclusions presented in the article. The authors did not respond to the notice regarding the retraction.

RETRACTION: Characterization of the Kynurenine Pathway in Skin-Derived Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes.

D. Sheipouri, R. Grant, S. Bustamante, D. Lovejoy, G. J. Guillemin, and N. Braidy, "Characterization of the Kynurenine Pathway in Skin-Derived Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes," Journal of Cellular Biochemistry 116, no. 6 (2015): 903-922. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.25019. The above article, published online on January 12, 2015, in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Christian Behl, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The journal received notice from a third party regarding evidence of duplication and image manipulation between the QPRT and KMO panels in Figure 5D as well as the QPRT and KAT-II panels in Figure 5B. The publisher confirmed these duplications. Some authors responded to an inquiry by the publisher but were not able to provide an explanation for the duplicated panels and were not able to provide original data for verification. An initial investigation by the University of New South Wales Conduct & Integrity Office concluded that the immunochemistry data presented in this article had been misrepresented, fabricated and/or falsified and warranted further investigation by an independent research misconduct inquiry panel. The retraction has been agreed to because the evidence of image duplication and manipulation compromises the integrity of the study and the conclusions presented in the article. S.B. and D.L. agree with the retraction. All other authors did not respond to our notice regarding the retraction.

The scientific integrity code: necessary and improvable

There are many definitions of scientific integrity, all of which share the common denominator of developing good research practices to ensure honesty and scientific rigor. According to the National Science and Technology Council of the United States, scientific integrity can be conceptualized as "adherence to professional practices, ethical behavior, and the principles of honesty and objectivity in conducting, managing, using results, and communicating about science and scientific activities" (1). Ciubotariu identifies scientific rigor, reproducibility, and responsibility as fundamental principles for its development (2). Scientific integrity plays a crucial role in preventing biases, data fabrication, plagiarism, and other forms of scientific misconduct. It is involved not only in the development of scientific research but also in its communication and use.