An investigation committee has found two former postdocs at the Research Center Borstel in Germany guilty of scientific misconduct.

The external committee in July began their investigation into 13 papers which scientists with the centre’s immunology group had published in various journals since 2001. A re-analysis of original data sets revealed “manipulations” in six publications which the committee says qualify as misconduct but not as fraud.

All six incriminated publications list a pair of former postdocs as first and second author. The committee established that the authors did manipulate figures but that they had not fabricated data. The main results described in their publications remain valid, the committee concludes.

But the inquiry was overshadowed by a high-profile anonymous internet campaign against the head of the lab, immunologist Silvia Bulfone-Paus, and her husband, dermatologist Ralf Paus. The couple currently hold joint positions at the University of Manchester, UK, and at the University of Lübeck in Germany.

The smear campaign distributed information about the suspect papers and about individual scientists to science journalists working for key newspapers, magazines and journals internationally. The Research Center Borstel brought formal charges against the unknown individual(s) behind the campaign.

Bulfone-Paus, who is listed as senior author of the six incriminated publications, failed in her responsibility to appropriately oversee the research conducted by members of her group, the committee charged, and therefore bears “substantial responsibility” for their scientific misconduct.