(12 Oct 2023) A recent bibliometric study of article retractions in the technology field from developing countries reveals that the number of retractions has increased over the past 20 years, with an annual growth rate of 20.79%. Authored by Metwaly Eldakar at Minia University in Egypt and Ahmed Shehata at Sultan Qaboos University in…
(9 Oct 2023) In 2022, Guillaume Cabanac noticed something unusual: a study had attracted more than 100 citations in a short span of less than two months of being published. Cabanac, a computer scientist at the University of Toulouse in France, initially flagged the study on PubPeer after it was highlighted by the Problematic Paper…
An algorithm that takes just seconds to scan a paper for duplicated images racks up more suspicious images than a person (3 Oct 2023) Scientific-image sleuth Sholto David blogs about image manipulation in research papers, a pastime that has exposed him to many accounts of scientific fraud. But other scientists “are still a little bit…
(27 Sep 2023) Since its launch Retraction Watch has done much to highlight the value of research integrity and publishing standards. Discussing the recent acquisition by Crossref of Retraction Watch’s database of retracted articles, Ivan Oransky and Rachael Lammey highlight the value of this data and the difficulties of making it openly and sustainably accessible. …
(1 Sep 2023) The LIBER Citizen Science Working Group published the second section of Citizen Science for Research Libraries – A Guide. Section Two – Library Infrastructures and Citizen Science – brings together voices from across the research infrastructure community to highlight existing facilities that support citizen science, combined with a range of case studies on the implementation of citizen…
(24 Aug 2023) Australia’s academics are grappling with how to handle investigations into scientific misconduct. Unlike many other countries, the nation does not have an independent body to oversee such probes; instead, universities and research institutes carry them out themselves. Several high-profile misconduct cases are bolstering criticisms of the current system, and momentum is building…
(2 Aug 2023) The academic world demands nothing short of excellence, with an unyielding pressure to produce innovative and impactful research outcomes. A growing body of evidence indicates that academic and commercial research suffer from systemic issues that can have far-reaching consequences on researchers, including stress, burnout, and various emotional and physical health challenges. These…
(28 Jul 2023) The Electronic Frontier Foundation will award Alexandra Elbakyan, founder of the ‘pirate’ library Sci-Hub, for her efforts to provide access to scientific knowledge. According to EFF, Elbakyan’s site is a vital resource for millions of students and researchers. Some medical professionals have even argued that the site helped to save lives. …
(July 2023) The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research is growing rapidly, with new applications being developed all the time. However, there are also some potential ethical challenges associated with the use of AI in research. For example, it is important to ensure that AI tools are not used to generate fraudulent or misleading research. It…
(18 Jul 2023) “Data scientists love good, structured data. Information people know where to get that data.” That’s how an information professional at a large pharmaceutical company described what drives the collaboration between info pros and data scientists at his organization. As he noted, “the one thing our researchers and data scientists don’t have is…