One in Seven Scientists Say Colleagues Fake "Scientific" Study Results _http://www.naturalnews.com/026865_natural_health_technology_renewable_energ y.html_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/026865_natural_health_technology_renewable_energy.html) One in seven scientists report that they have known colleagues to falsify or slant the findings of their research, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and published in the journal PLoS One.
A number of scientific data falsification scandals have emerged in recent years, such as the case of a South Korean researcher who invented data on stem cell research. At the same time, increasing controversy over close industry ties to medical research has called into question whether researchers who take money from drug companies might be induced to falsify their data. "Increasing evidence suggests that known frauds are just the tip of the iceberg and that many cases are never discovered," said researcher Daniele Fanelli. The researchers reviewed the results of 21 different scientific misconduct surveys that had been performed between 1985 and 2005. All respondents were asked whether they or anyone they knew of had taken part in either fabrication (outright invention of data) or "questionable practices." Questionable practices were any improper procedure short of fabrication, including failing to publish results contradicting one's prior research, modifying data based on a "gut feeling," changing conclusions after pressure from a funder or selectively choosing which data to include in an analysis. One in seven scientists said that they were aware of colleagues who had engaged in fabrication, while nearly half -- 46 percent -- admitted to knowing of colleagues who had used questionable practices. Only two percent, however, admitted to fabricating results themselves. While two percent is higher than previous estimates of the prevalence of data fabrication, researchers believe that the number is still too low. In all likelihood, it reflects both a reluctance by researchers to admit to serious misconduct and a tendency to interpret one's behavior as favorably as possible -- questionable instead of fabrication, or acceptable rather than questionable. Researchers in the medical and pharmacalogical fields were the most likely to admit to misconduct than researchers in other fields. Sources for this story include: _www.timesonline.co.uk_ (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/) . ------------------------------------- Related A New Low in Drug Research: 21 Fabricated Studies Scott S. Reuben, a prominent Massachusetts anesthesiologist, allegedly fabricated 21 medical studies that claimed to show benefits from painkillers like Vioxx and Celebrex. _http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/04/A-New-Low-in- Drug-Research-21-Fabricated-Studies.aspx_ (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/04/A-New-Low-in-Drug-Research-21-Fabricated-Studie s.aspx) Ghosted Journal Articles Undermine Integrity of Medicine ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP) _http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/news.php?start=2800&end=2820&view=yes&id= 3667#newspost_ (http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/news.php?start=2800&end=2820&view=yes&id=3667#newspost) Medical Papers by Ghostwriters Pushed Therapy Newly unveiled court documents show that ghostwriters paid by a pharmaceutical company played a major role in producing 26 scientific papers backing the use of hormone replacement therapy in women, suggesting that the level of hidden industry influence on medical literature is broader than previously known. _http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/health/research/05ghost.html?_r=1&hp_ (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/health/research/05ghost.html?_r=1&hp) Merck published fake journal _http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/print/55671/_ (http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/print/55671/) Top Pain Scientist Fabricated Data in Studies, Hospital Says A prominent Massachusetts anesthesiologist allegedly fabricated 21 medical studies that claimed to show benefits from painkillers like Vioxx and Celebrex, according to the hospital where he worked. Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Mass., said that its former chief of acute pain, Scott S. Reuben, had faked data used in the studies, which were published in several anesthesiology journals between 1996 and 2008. _http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672510903888207.html_ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672510903888207.html) Why You Can’t Trust Most Studies on Health A study of 49 papers in leading journals that had been cited by more than 1,000 other scientists -- in other words, well-regarded research -- showed that within only a few years, almost a third of the papers had been refuted by other studies. And the “hotter” the field, the greater the competition and the more likely it is that published research in top journals could be wrong. This is the second study by Dr. John Ioannidis, an epidemiologist at Ioannina School of Medicine, Greece, to show that much scientific research is highly questionable. Back in 2005 Dr. Ioannidis showed that there is less than a 50% chance that the results of any randomly chosen scientific paper will be true. _http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/04/why-you-can-t -trust-most-studies-on-health.aspx_ (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/04/why-you-can-t-trust-most-studies-on-health.aspx) Why Most Published Research Findings Are False _http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124_ (http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124) Studies Funded by Drug Companies Favor Drugs 80 Percent of the Time _http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/06/10/studies-funde d-by-drug-companies-favor-drugs-80-percent-of-the-time.aspx_ (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/06/10/studies-funded-by-drug-compa nies-favor-drugs-80-percent-of-the-time.aspx) How Drug Companies Deceive Medical Journals The medical journals have enormous influence on which drugs doctors prescribe and the treatment hospitals provide. It has been revealed that hundreds of journals were never written by doctors but by ghostwriters, who the pharmaceutical companies hire. _http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/12/24/drug-companie s-part-fourteen.aspx_ (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/12/24/drug-companies-part-fourteen.aspx) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/attachments/20090818/f2014818/attachment.html _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
