The widespread corruption in the field of scientific research and publication was exposed once again last fall when major scientific publisher Hindawi announced the retraction of over 500 research papers published across 16 of its peer-reviewed journals.
On September 28, 2022, Retraction Watch reported that Hindawi was to retract 511 papers across 16 journals after an investigation spanning months “identified networks of reviewers and editors manipulating the peer review process.”
Citing Richard Bennett, vice president of researcher and publishing services for Hindawi, the story wrote:
The publisher suspects “coordinated peer review rings” consisting of reviewers and editors working together to advance manuscripts through to publication.
Bennett also said that the retraction of the 511 papers would likely be followed by further retractions.
“We expect ongoing investigations to result in further retractions.”
Interestingly, when asked about what Hindawi would do to prevent something similar from happening in future, Bennett declined to share specifics, though he stated that the compromised individuals involved in the problematic publications would be banned.
In yet another embarrassing revelation for followers of corporate science, Retraction Watch reported earlier in September 2022 that nearly 500 papers would be retracted by a physics publisher after an investigation found “some papers may have been created, manipulated, and/or sold by a commercial entity.”
Of the research articles to be retracted, 463 articles were from the Journal of Physics: Conference Series; 21 were from IOP Conference Series: Materials Science & Engineering; and 10 were from IOP Conference Series: Earth & Environmental Science.
These retractions represent only side of the coin of corruption in the field of scientific research and publication. The other side of this coin has retractions of otherwise solid research that is damaging to the corporate/pharmaceutical and/or political interests and are thus pulled to serve the corporate/political agenda. In the summer of 2020, world-famous journal of medical research The Lancet retracted a study about hydroxychloroquine because it was not in line with the establishment’s pandemic-centered narrative of the time.