Archive by category | Scientific publishing

Researchers less willing to share study details, according to journal’s survey

Researchers are increasingly reluctant to share the background details of their studies with other scientists according to new results from a survey of authors who published papers in the Annals of Internal Medicine in the last five years. This downward trend in researchers’ willingness to disclose such information is, unfortunately, at odds with the current surge in efforts to facilitate access to the types of study specifics that are vital to reproducing results.  Read more

Immunologist effort aims to improve hyperlinking of research papers to raw data

Immunologist effort aims to improve hyperlinking of research papers to raw data

A study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that people suffering from ANCA-associated vasculitis, a disease in which the body attacks its own defense system, can now be effectively treated with one month of weekly infusions of rituximab, instead of the standard 18-month regimen with daily pills of cyclophosphamide, which has strong side effects. But that is not the only thing that makes the report noteworthy, according to its authors: the study is the first to contain hyperlinked charts or graphs that redirect users to an information-sharing system called TrialShare, where they can instantly access data amassed during this clinical trial and others.  Read more

UPDATED: GSK inquiry reports signs of possible data fabrication in multiple sclerosis paper

An inquiry by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) into allegations of possible data fabrication in a 2010 Nature Medicine paper regarding the role of specialized T cells in autoimmune disease has found what it sees as evidence of misconduct. Concerns regarding the paper surfaced last week, when news sources reported that the company had begun investigating the research conducted for the study at a GSK lab in Shanghai.  Read more

Yale immunologist wins new €4 million award

Yale immunologist wins new €4 million award

Most scientists will say that they go to the lab every day out of a pure love of science, not to make buckets of money. But for researchers at the pinnacle of their fields, science can be a lucrative trade. Win a Nobel Prize, and you could take home more than $1.2 million. Bag a Templeton Prize, and you could be depositing a $1.7 million check. Net a Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, first awarded earlier this year, and you’d walk away with a cool $3 million.  Read more

The harder they fall

The harder they fall

Pretty busy week over at the JAMA offices. First came the report that one of its editors had called a whistleblower a “”https://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/03/13/jama-editor-calls-critic-a-nobody-and-a-nothing/“>nobody and a nothing”, report that was accompanied by a pretty long series of comments from outraged readers.  Read more

Mine is larger than yours

Mine is larger than yours

A dear friend of mine sent me a link to this page, which shows the “h indices” of what the author of the page refers to the “best Spanish scientists”. The page is a bit difficult to navigate if you don’t know Spanish, but it doesn’t matter; I’m sure that if you have the time and inclination, you will find a similar page in your language and for the nationality of your choice.  Read more