Harvard’s teaching hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is expected to amend or retract numerous articles over claims of fabricated data, just weeks after the university’s former president resigned amid allegations of academic plagiarism and mishandling antisemitism on campus.
In this latest story over academic integrity, four top researchers at the school’s teaching hospital may be required to amend dozens of papers between them over claims of falsified data.
According to The Harvard Crimson, six papers have already been identified for retraction, with an additional 31 currently being corrected.
The latest claims were first raised in a data investigation blog, For Better Science, on January 2, as reported by The Havard Crimson. Sholto David, who holds a doctoral degree in biology from Newcastle University, says he identified duplications of blots, bands, and plots used to support the findings of the medical-focused papers.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Research Integrity (DFCI) Officer Barrett J. Rollins says the amendments were initiated after David contacted the institute with concerns about data manipulation in 57 manuscripts. Of the 57, Rollins says 38 were articles where the DFCI researchers would “have primary responsibility for the potential data errors.”
While the institute admits the existence of the errors, Rollins claims that the “presence of image discrepancies in a paper is not evidence of an author’s intent to deceive.”
“That conclusion can only be drawn after a careful, fact-based examination which is an integral part of our response,” added Rollins.
Earlier this month, The Dallas Express reported that Claudine Gay resigned from her role as the president of Harvard University after claims were leveled over the inadequate use of citations in her 1997 dissertation. Pressure to investigate the former president’s track record was compounded by allegations she was overlooking growing campus antisemitism.
