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Articles on Retractions

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Government information sources like the U.S. patent database often file bad information without labeling it or providing a way to retract it. Thinglass/iStock via Getty Images

When authoritative sources hold onto bad data: A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information

Theranos was dissolved years ago, and its CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, is in prison, but the company’s patents based on bad science live on – a stark example of the persistence of faulty information.
Would technologies like the airplane ever get off the ground without people balancing commitment to their vision with openness to new ideas? HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Intellectual humility is a key ingredient for scientific progress

An intellectually humble person may have strong commitments to various beliefs − but balanced with an openness to the likelihood that others, too, may have valuable insights, ideas and evidence.
‘Only a modest proportion of all flawed publications are identified and retracted.’ Shutterstock/Triff

Fudged research results erode people’s trust in experts

A database of retractions shows hundreds of academic articles with Australian authors have been withdrawn. Research misconduct threatens to corrode trust in academic qualifications and publications.
Is that a black hole, or a hole in their data? NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

How to quickly spot dodgy science

There are a few red flags to look out for when reading about new scientific discoveries that can help you spot dodgy or unreliable work.

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