168 retractions = world record.

[Kai]

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/04/a-new-record-for-retractions.html?ref=hp

Editors representing 23 journals have publicly asked officials at seven Japanese institutions to investigate the integrity of 193 publications authored by anesthesiologist Yoshitaka Fujii.

As reported yesterday by Retraction Watch, questions were first raised about Fujii's work a decade ago. Tokyo-based Toho University, his most recent employer, dismissed him in February for not following ethical review procedures in producing eight of nine papers investigated by an internal committee. (Fujii agreed to retract those papers, according to a statement on the university's Web site.)

On 8 March, the journal Anaesthesia published an analysis questioning data in 168 of Fujii's papers. Now the group of editors, mostly from journals focusing on anesthesiology, is planning to retract what may be Fujii's entire English language body of work if the institutions with which he was affiliated cannot confirm that the studies took place, that the original research data have been verified, and that the studies had been properly reviewed in advance for ethical considerations.

Oh boy.  And for anesthesiology too! It's not like this is taxonomy here, which, while loads of made up new species descriptions would be a horrible mess to clean up, the mistakes generally are not used in medical policy that may kill people.

[Freeky]

WOW.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What the hell! 

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/04/a-new-record-for-retractions.html?ref=hp

Editors representing 23 journals have publicly asked officials at seven Japanese institutions to investigate the integrity of 193 publications authored by anesthesiologist Yoshitaka Fujii.

As reported yesterday by Retraction Watch, questions were first raised about Fujii's work a decade ago. Tokyo-based Toho University, his most recent employer, dismissed him in February for not following ethical review procedures in producing eight of nine papers investigated by an internal committee. (Fujii agreed to retract those papers, according to a statement on the university's Web site.)

On 8 March, the journal Anaesthesia published an analysis questioning data in 168 of Fujii's papers. Now the group of editors, mostly from journals focusing on anesthesiology, is planning to retract what may be Fujii's entire English language body of work if the institutions with which he was affiliated cannot confirm that the studies took place, that the original research data have been verified, and that the studies had been properly reviewed in advance for ethical considerations.

Oh boy.  And for anesthesiology too! It's not like this is taxonomy here, which, while loads of made up new species descriptions would be a horrible mess to clean up, the mistakes generally are not used in medical policy that may kill people.

Holy FUCK.

[Kai]

More news on recent retractions. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/science/rise-in-scientific-journal-retractions-prompts-calls-for-reform.html Interesting how both of these stories deal with Japanese researchers.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

That's impressive!