The U.S. Office of Research Integrity is forcing four papers published in national scientific journals to be pulled after a University of Oregon graduate student admitted earlier this week that he falsified data in a neuroscience experiment.
Graduate student David Anderson fabricated, removed, or changed numbers in 11 tables and diagrams across four papers. Anderson altered the numbers “to produce results that conform to predictions,” according to ORI.
The research was supervised by professor Edward Awh, who has since moved to the University of Chicago. Awh told Retraction Watch, a research retraction blog, that he notified the university when he first became aware of potential issues with the research.
Anderson admitted guilt to ORI on Monday. He has signed a three-year agreement saying that all his research will be supervised to guarantee accuracy. During those three years, he will be required to have applications for Public Health Service funds double-checked for accuracy. He also will not be allowed to serve as a consultant or a board member for PHS and he must agree to pull the four papers with false data.
The study was funded with $5.47 million from the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health.