Most scientific paper retractions due to misconduct: Study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - When a biomedical study is retracted, most of the time it is because of misconduct rather than error, a report published on Monday said.

Two-thirds of all retractions around the world stem from acts like fraud, suspected fraud or plagiarism, it added.

And as a percentage of all scientific articles published, retractions because of fraud or suspected fraud have jumped 10-fold since 1975, said the study.

Its lead author was Mr Arturo Casadevall, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in New York.