Leading Retractions in the Cancer Research Literature (interview)
http://www.collabrx.com/leading-retracti...iterature/
EXCERPT: Ivan Oransky, MD, and Adam Marcus are co-founders of Retraction Watch. [...]
Q: You founded “Retraction Watch” in 2010. It has flourished and filled a substantial niche. In your view, what are the most important retractions or corrections in the cancer literature to date?
A: Without passing judgment on the integrity of cancer research broadly speaking, we have indeed seen several significant cases involving retractions in this field. Topping the list almost certainly is Anil Potti, formerly of Duke University, whose promising work in oncogenomics – using genetic information to fine-tune chemotherapy – proved to be largely fabricated. Potti’s misconduct helped trigger at least a dozen now-settled lawsuits brought by patients against Duke, and lead to the retraction of 11 papers on which he was a co-author....
Why a moratorium on microaggressions policies is needed
https://aeon.co/essays/why-a-moratorium-...-is-needed
EXCERPT: Across college campuses and the corporate landscape, a big idea has taken hold: the notion that microaggressions – subtle but offensive comments or actions directed at minorities or other powerless people – can lower performance, lead to ostracism, increase anxiety, and sometimes cause so much psychological pain that the recipient might even commit suicide.
Yet despite the good intentions and passionate embrace of this idea, there is scant real-world evidence that microaggression is a legitimate psychological concept, that it represents unconscious (or implicit) prejudice, that intervention for it works, or even that alleged victims are seriously damaged by these under-the-radar acts. It is entirely possible that future research will alter some of these verdicts. Until the evidence is in, though, I recommend abandoning the term microaggression, which is potentially misleading. In addition, I call for a moratorium on microaggression training programmes and publicly distributed microaggression lists now widespread in the college and business worlds....
MORE: https://aeon.co/essays/why-a-moratorium-...-is-needed
http://www.collabrx.com/leading-retracti...iterature/
EXCERPT: Ivan Oransky, MD, and Adam Marcus are co-founders of Retraction Watch. [...]
Q: You founded “Retraction Watch” in 2010. It has flourished and filled a substantial niche. In your view, what are the most important retractions or corrections in the cancer literature to date?
A: Without passing judgment on the integrity of cancer research broadly speaking, we have indeed seen several significant cases involving retractions in this field. Topping the list almost certainly is Anil Potti, formerly of Duke University, whose promising work in oncogenomics – using genetic information to fine-tune chemotherapy – proved to be largely fabricated. Potti’s misconduct helped trigger at least a dozen now-settled lawsuits brought by patients against Duke, and lead to the retraction of 11 papers on which he was a co-author....
Why a moratorium on microaggressions policies is needed
https://aeon.co/essays/why-a-moratorium-...-is-needed
EXCERPT: Across college campuses and the corporate landscape, a big idea has taken hold: the notion that microaggressions – subtle but offensive comments or actions directed at minorities or other powerless people – can lower performance, lead to ostracism, increase anxiety, and sometimes cause so much psychological pain that the recipient might even commit suicide.
Yet despite the good intentions and passionate embrace of this idea, there is scant real-world evidence that microaggression is a legitimate psychological concept, that it represents unconscious (or implicit) prejudice, that intervention for it works, or even that alleged victims are seriously damaged by these under-the-radar acts. It is entirely possible that future research will alter some of these verdicts. Until the evidence is in, though, I recommend abandoning the term microaggression, which is potentially misleading. In addition, I call for a moratorium on microaggression training programmes and publicly distributed microaggression lists now widespread in the college and business worlds....
MORE: https://aeon.co/essays/why-a-moratorium-...-is-needed