To continue getting breaking news and the full stories from The Boston Globe, subscribe today.

The Boston Globe

Opinion

Boston.com

Adam Marcus and Ivan Oransky

A rash of scientific retraction

By Adam Marcus and Ivan Oransky

 |   

  April 17, 2012

Despite assaults on the science of global warming and evolution, the real threat to research these days may be coming from within. Journals are retracting more than 10 times as many articles each year today than they did a decade ago, while publishing only about 50 percent more studies than before. The institutions of science — universities, laboratories, and journals — shouldn’t take the public’s trust for granted. And there are distressing signs that the kind of transparency scientists need is far from universal.

Stay with the story. Get full access to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢

Unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com for only 99¢ for the first 4 weeks. You can cancel at any time.

  • The FULL story all day: Enjoy all of the high-quality, in-depth journalism in the print edition of the Boston Globe — plus breaking news that's updated 24/7.
  • A truly reader-friendly format: It's online news that looks and reads just like the newspaper — uncluttered, uninterrupted.
  • Breakthrough technology: The responsive design automatically adapts content so it always reads perfectly on the digital device of your choice.
Get started today

Free access for home delivery subscribers.

Just need to link your home delivery account; one easy step.

Link my home delivery account

BostonGlobe.comSubscriber Log In

Contact us for help