The researchers are convicted of misconduct, according to a decision from the Board for Examination of Research Misconduct, NPOF.

This is due to partially manipulated and falsified images in a scientific article, reports Läkartidningen.

The five scientific articles are in the cancer area, and NPOF, after taking the help of an expert, has come to the conclusion that images in one of the articles have been manipulated and falsified. The fact that the forgery did not affect the article’s results or conclusion does not affect the committee’s assessment, reports Läkartidningen.

The researchers deny that they acted grossly negligently and were thus guilty of misconduct.

The board’s chairman and one of the members declare their differences. They believe that only the two corresponding authors acted with gross negligence. The two co-authors’ obligation to check the content of the article does not go as far and deep and therefore cannot be said to have acted grossly negligently, they believe.

In three articles, the committee considers that it is about oversights and carelessness. In doing so, the researchers have not acted grossly negligently, according to NPOF. As regards the fifth article, the expert assessment finds that the suspicions of misconduct are incorrect.

Source: Läkartidningen/Katrin Trysell