Science Sleuths Expose Errors in High-Profile Research, Prompting Reckonings and Calls for Reform
• A community of "science sleuths" is exposing concerning image manipulations and errors in high-profile published research papers. This has led to retractions, resignations, and reckonings at top institutions.
• Scrutiny of former Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne's research was an inflection point. Questionable images were found, leading to his resignation, though he was not directly implicated.
• In January, a blog post exposed issues in research from leaders at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which asked journals to retract 6 papers and correct dozens more as a result.
• Journals and universities have been slow to publicly address issues when exposed. There are calls for reform and more transparency when problems arise to rebuild public trust.
• Artificial intelligence tools are making it easier to spot manipulated images. Journals are adopting similar tech, but some caution AI alone cannot solve deeper cultural issues rewarding splashy publications over rigorous work.