Biology Newsfeed

[Feature] Fishy business

ScienceNOW - Fetched: March 23rd, 2017, 3:00pm UTC

Two Swedish fish researchers, with the aid of five colleagues elsewhere in the world, have alleged fraud in a study on the effects of microplastics on larval fish published in Science by two scientists at Uppsala University (UU) in June 2016. The study supposedly took place at the Ar Research Station in Gotland, but the whistleblowers say it never happened, based on eyewitness testimony and other evidence. A preliminary investigation by UU dismissed the claims in August 2016; a second investigation, by an expert panel at Sweden's Central Ethical Review Board, is still ongoing. An expert hired by that panel filed a more damning report last February that raised the possibility of fraud. Now, both sides are awaiting the expert panel's final verdict, which may influence an ongoing debate about how Swedish institutions investigate research misconduct. Author: Martin Enserink

Read more

Return to the Newsfeed