Scientific Misconduct and how do
Journal Editors deal with it?
Graham C. Parker, Ph.D.
The Carman
Editor-in-Chief
and Ann Adams Executive
Department
Editor
of Pediatrics
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Children's Hospital of Michigan
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
What is Scientific Misconduct?
The Public Health Service rule defines misconduct as:
Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or
reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
(a) Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
(b) Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes,
or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not
accurately represented in the research record.
(c) Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes,
results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
(d) Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of
opinion. (42 C.F.R. 93.103)
http://dir.niehs.nih.gov/ethics/news/2005fall-news.doc
http://www.ori.dhhs.gov/documents/FR_Doc_05-9643.shtml
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Fabrication
Editor
for a day
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Falsification
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Pereant qui ante nos nostra dixerunt
Attributed to Aelius Donatus
by St. Jerome
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
What is Plagiarism?
1) to pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own.
2) to use another's work without crediting the source.
3) failing to put a quotation in quotation marks.
4) to present as new and original an idea or product derived
from an existing source.
5) giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation.
6) changing words but copying the sentence structure of a
source without giving credit.
http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.html
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Self-Plagiarism
Can’t steal from yourself.
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Ease of Detection
“a more classic romance of
signaling
elements”
But the absence
of evidence
is not evidence of absence.
35,800,000 hits
“But the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
4,690 hits
"But the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." stem cells
2 hits
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Ease of Detection
• Image manipulation detection software
• Plagiarism detection software
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Ease of Detection
Other people are watching…
• Clare Francis…
• Deja Vu: a Database of Highly Similar Citations*
• http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Other Indiscretions
• Author inclusion / exclusion
• Simultaneous submissions
• Salami publications
Dear Dr. Parker,
I am quite shocked with your message. This manuscript is totally novel and of
interest to the field. By the way, what is your impact factor, 10 or so?
• Inappropriate reviewer recommendation
• Listing an appropriate reviewer with a fake email address
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Consequences
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
What happened next?
•
Production of cloned dogs by decreasing the interval between fusion and activation during
somatic cell nuclear transfer. Kim S, Park SW, Hossein MS, Jeong YW, Kim JJ, Lee E, Kim YW,
Hyun SH, Shin T, Hwang WS.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2009 May;76(5):483-9.
•
Cloning missy: obtaining multiple offspring of a specific canine genotype by somatic cell nuclear
transfer. Hossein MS, Jeong YW, Park SW, Kim JJ, Lee E, Ko KH, Kim HS, Kim YW, Hyun SH,
Shin T, Hawthorne L, Hwang WS.
Cloning Stem Cells. 2009 Mar;11(1):123-30.
•
Birth of Beagle dogs by somatic cell nuclear transfer.
Hossein MS, Jeong YW, Park SW, Kim JJ, Lee E, Ko KH, Hyuk P, Hoon SS, Kim YW, Hyun SH,
Shin T, Hwang WS.
Anim Reprod Sci. 2008 Oct 22. [Epub ahead of print]
•
Protocol for the recovery of in vivo matured canine oocytes based on once daily measurement of
serum progesterone. Hossein MS, Jeong YW, Kim S, Kim JJ, Park SW, Jeong CS, Hyun SH,
Hwang WS.
Cloning Stem Cells. 2008 Sep;10(3):403-8.
•
Anti-apoptotic effect of melatonin on preimplantation development of porcine parthenogenetic
embryos. Choi J, Park SM, Lee E, Kim JH, Jeong YI, Lee JY, Park SW, Kim HS, Hossein MS,
Jeong YW, Kim S, Hyun SH, Hwang WS.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2008 Jul;75(7):1127-35.
•
Effects of insulin-transferrin-selenium in defined and porcine follicular fluid supplemented IVM
PAD
seminarMS,
WSU,
December
2013
media on porcine IVF and SCNT embryo production. Jeong YW,
Hossein
Bhandari
DP,
Kim
Consequences
•
Individual Journal Editorial decisions
•
The Office of Research Integrity publishing their names and misconduct
in the Federal Register,
disqualified from applying for grants for a determined period,
require mentoring after determined period
•
Dismissal
•
Removal of board licenses
•
Collateral damage to co-authors’ careers
•
(Journal editor resigns in wake of retractions)
•
Institutional Damage
•
Peer feeding frenzy
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Consequences
Allegation received
Invite CA to comment
April 2nd 2012
Ask QUT one more question
November 11th
Contact Institution
April 5th
April 18th
Agree plan
April 18th
Retraction published
Retraction Watch
December 23rd
December 27th
Full evidential response
May 3rd
Acknowledge receipt
May 4th
QUT Report
August 26th
First author requests to submit corrected version
March 14th 2013
No.
March 14th
Concerns were raised by one of the co-authors, Luke Cormack, and after an investigation was
conducted by the authors’ institution, The Queensland University of Technology, Stem Cells and
Development is officially retracting the paper, A Chimeric Vitronectin: IGF-1 Protein Supports
Feeder-Cell-Free and Serum-Free Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, by Manton et al., from
volume 19, issue 9 (pages 1298-1305).
The concerns center primarily on whether the images provided in Figure 1 show colonies of the
stem cell line described at the passage stated stained for the marker listed. There were also
related concerns with the PCR data included.
It is important to note that the corresponding author, KJ Manton, has denied deliberate
wrongdoing. Stem Cells and Development acknowledges and appreciates the thoroughness of the
investigation undertaken by Queensland University of Technology.
Stem Cells and Development believes that had the peer reviewers of the paper been aware of
the extent and nature of the mistakes in the paper that apparently went undetected by the authors
through an initial submission, two revisions, as well as galley proof, they would not have deemed
the paper acceptable.
Stem Cells and Development is dedicated to the highest ethical standards of scientific publishing.
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Peer feeding frenzy
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Consequences
•
Eric T. Poehlman (2006) ordered to serve a year and a day in federal
prison for using falsified data in federal research grants.
•
Scott Reuben fabricated data in six drug trials. Sentenced to six months
in prison (2010), ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, $361,932 in restitution to
the drug companies that funded his research and to forfeit $50,000 in
assets in the case. Undergoing three years of supervised release.
•
Steven Eaton (April 2013) given a three-month prison term, making him
the first person to serve time under a 1999 British law called the Good
Laboratory Practice Regulations
•
Diederik Stapel, Tilburg University fabricated data in dozens of studies,
facing a criminal probe for his misuse of some 2.2 million euros
(roughly $2.8 million U.S.) in government grant funding.
http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Cost to the field?
Mobley et al. (2013) A Survey on Data Reproducibility in Cancer Research Provides
Insights into Our Limited Ability to Translate Findings from the Laboratory to the Clinic.
PLoS ONE 8(5): e63221.
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Cost to the field?
•
Retards scientific progress
•
Misguides clinical treatment
•
Diverts limited funds
•
Diverts scientific efforts
•
Saps public confidence
•
Diminishes political support
•
Discourages trainees
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Avoiding Scientific Misconduct
• Keep careful notes, and keep drafts of work under preparation.
Track changes, font selection, font colors, hard copies
• Write and record as if you expect to have to defend yourself.
• It’s also good working practice.
• Create and maintain a culture of good scientific practice.
Short cuts = cul-de-sac !
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Consequences
“A single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.”
Baltasar Gracian
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
Acknowledgements
The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital of Michigan
I may not have gone where I intended to go,
but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
~ Douglas Adams
Complaints and further questions:
gparker@med.wayne.edu
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013
PAD seminar WSU, December 2013