Reposted by COSIGSholto David @sholtodavid.bsky.social · 06/08/2026A tool used to rephrase plagiarised text changed "final solution" to "mass killing of an ethnic group" in a chemistry paper. Now retracted thanks to a PubPeer user who spotted this. pubpeer.com/publications... 271037404
Reposted by COSIGDead Neanderthals @deadneanderthals.bsky.social · 06/08/2026We published a new paper in the #CanadianJournalOfCardiology doi.org/10.1016/j.cj... We show that 57 of 201 included articles (28.4%) contain image-related or data-related issues. All these papers investigated microvascular injury after acute myocardial infarction in mouse, rat and pig models. 085
Reposted by COSIGRetraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 18/06/2026Retracted scientific papers cited on Wikipedia tend to linger for years, according to a study examining nearly 1,200 citations.retractionwatch.comSome Wikipedia citations to retracted papers persist for years, study findsRetracted scientific papers cited on Wikipedia tend to linger on the popular website for years, according to a study examining nearly 1,200 citations. The study’s authors, led by Ph.D. candid… 13315
Reposted by COSIGPLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 11/06/2026How can one learn to investigate the #integrity of published #scientific papers? This Community Page by @cosig.net, @reeserichardson.bsky.social, @solalpirelli.bsky.social presents COSIG, a collection of guides enabling anyone to perform forensic peer review 🧪#AcademicSky plos.io/43uZsbC 01816
COSIG @cosig.net · 10/06/2026By @yaamurozturk.bsky.social @solalpirelli.bsky.social and @reeserichardson.bsky.social ! 000
COSIG @cosig.net · 10/06/2026"Investigating the integrity of published scientific papers is key to the scientific process, but the necessary knowledge is in short supply." Check the COSIG team's new Community Page article in @plosbiology.org ! doi.org/10.1371/jour...doi.orgIntroducing COSIG: The Collection of Open Science Integrity GuidesInvestigating the integrity of published scientific papers is key to the scientific process, but the necessary knowledge is in short supply. This Community Page presents COSIG, an open collection of m... 1126
Reposted by COSIGRetraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 10/06/2026A Cochrane system for checking whether any of its thousands of published reviews include retracted studies has already turned up dozens of reviews that do and will now get closer scrutiny to ensure their results and recommendations hold up.retractionwatch.comNew system for flagging retracted papers finds scores of them in Cochrane reviewsCochrane has implemented a new system for checking whether any of its thousands of published reviews include retracted studies in their analyses, the organization announced today. The effort alread… 02917
COSIG @cosig.net · 04/06/2026Today, COSIG and Sal Sleuthmander turn 1 year old! 🎂 Contributions to COSIG are the best birthday gifts we can ever receive, many thanks to all of our contributors 🎉 084
Reposted by COSIGHealth Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Haven't seen one of these in the wild in AGES. Scientific error-checking difficulty: very easy Why is this table definitely not real data? 8233
Reposted by COSIGCrystal Lewis @cghlewis.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Issue 44 of #rdmweekly is out! 📬 Including: ➡️ psychds - R Package @mekline.bsky.social ➡️ READMEBuilder @eivimeycook.bsky.social ➡️ Citations to Retracted Papers @cosig.net ➡️ Data Curation as Data Literacy Education @mikalarae.bsky.social and more! rdmweekly.substack.com/p/rdm-weekly...rdmweekly.substack.comRDM Weekly - Issue 044A weekly roundup of Research Data Management resources. 0138
COSIG @cosig.net · 07/05/2026Sleuths face various legal risks but they can also use the law for their advantage. ⚖️ COSIG's newest guide, number 3️⃣5️⃣, covers legal considerations for taking part in forensic peer review. Read it here: osf.io/q3y7s 0126
COSIG @cosig.net · 05/05/2026Can you tell what’s wrong with these figures and tables? Come to find out! 031
COSIG @cosig.net · 05/05/2026The COSIG team is at #WCRI2026 ! Our poster is up at station 120. We'll all be there today from 12:00 to 1:30; come stop by! 1206
Reposted by COSIGNanoBubbles @nanobubbles.bsky.social · 04/05/2026With the COSIG team, we are also presenting our poster on the 5th, number 120, come see some examples of problematic content in scientific papers and try to catch them! @cosig.net @solalpirelli.bsky.social @yaamurozturk.bsky.social @reeserichardson.bsky.social 066
Reposted by COSIGElisabeth Bik @elisabethbik.bsky.social · 04/05/2026SS: We see advertisements for increasing your CV by writing Mendelian Randomization papers based on a simple tool, and we tested that LLMs can easily produce MR papers as well. These formulaic types of papers are also highlighted in the @cosig.net guidelines: osf.io/2kdez/files/... #WCRI2026 153
Reposted by COSIGJack Wilkinson @jdwilko.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Can accommodate some more people at this Introduction to INSPECT-SR workshop tomorrow (April 30th). Book here or email/ message me directly: www.trybooking.com/uk/GATM It says (N America) because the time was chosen for that region, but all welcometrybooking.comINSPECT-SR Training Workshop April (N America)An introductory 2-hour online workshop will introduce participants to the INSPECT-SR tool for assessing trustworthiness of randomised controlled... 065
Reposted by COSIGElisabeth Bik @elisabethbik.bsky.social · 20/03/2026I will be giving a BitesizeBio Webinar on Monday March 23 (5 pm UK time / 1 pm ET / 10 am PT). Title: "How to Find Errors and Misconduct in Biomedical Papers". Topics: sleuthing, @pubpeer.com, @cosig.net Register here: events.bitesizebio.com/how-to-find-... 32710
COSIG @cosig.net · 11/03/2026RetractoBot www.retracted.net alerts authors about retracted studies they have cited.retracted.netRetractoBot: alerting authors when papers they cite are retracted 052
COSIG @cosig.net · 11/03/2026Do you know what to do when a study you have cited gets retracted? COSIG's entry on Citations to Retracted Publications has been updated with what to do in this situation. Read all about it: osf.io/9q3as 1106
COSIG @cosig.net · 09/03/2026Pseudoreplication is the practice of treating non-independent observations as if they were independent replicates. This can dramatically increase the rate of false positives. COSIG's newest entry covers how to spot them. Read it at osf.io/hyxvr COSIG 🎉now with 34 guides 🎉is available at cosig.net.cosig.netCOSIGThe Collection of Open Science Integrity Guides 1147
Reposted by COSIGReese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 25/02/2026@sjmelchor.bsky.social writes for @nature.com about how to spot dubious papers, interviewing @elisabethbik.bsky.social, @abalkina.bsky.social, @jabyrnesci.bsky.social, myself and and my fellow @cosig.net maintainers @solalpirelli.bsky.social and Yagmur Ozturk! www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comFive ways to spot when a paper is a fraudScience sleuths share their common-sense tips for sniffing out fishy articles. 16126
COSIG @cosig.net · 20/02/2026Thanks to René Aquarius and Alex Glynn for their contributions to this guide. Don’t miss their one-year update on stealth corrections hosted on Dorothy Bishop's blog: deevybee.blogspot.com/2026/02/gues... cc: @deadneanderthals.bsky.social @gcabanac.cpesr.fr @deevybee.bsky.socialdeevybee.blogspot.comGuest post: Stealth corrections are still a threat to scientific integrityAuthors René Aquarius , Floris Schoeters , Alex Glynn , Guillaume Cabanac An update on stealth corrections Last year, we published... 052
COSIG @cosig.net · 20/02/2026Stealth corrections happen when a publisher makes changes to a scientific article after its publication, without issuing any public notice. To learn more, check out the latest COSIG entry on Stealth Corrections! osf.io/34nj5 COSIG (33 guides and growing!) is available at cosig.net. 1167
Reposted by COSIGElisabeth Bik @elisabethbik.bsky.social · 11/02/2026New blog post: UnEDXpected Peaks Thanks to @reeserichardson.bsky.social, for teaching me to spot Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy problems. @cosig.net guide: osf.io/2kdez/files/... 30+ papers from a group from Pakistan with wonky EDX plots. Read more: scienceintegritydigest.com/2026/02/09/u... 8296
COSIG @cosig.net · 02/02/2026To make COSIG more discoverable for educators looking to develop course material on publication integrity and peer review, COSIG now has an entry in OER Commons! @oercommons.bsky.social #OER oercommons.org/courses/the-...oercommons.orgThe Collection of Open Science Integrity Guides (COSIG)COSIG is an openly licensed, continuously expanding repository of practical guides for performing post-publication peer review (PPPR). The resource is freely available at https://cosig.net. At the tim... 095
Reposted by COSIGReese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 13/01/2026Check out this feature on sleuthing by @jgro-the.bsky.social ! 021
COSIG @cosig.net · 01/01/2026Happy New Year from Sal Sleuthmander and the COSIG team! Here's to doing lots of post-publication peer review in 2026 🎆🥂🔎 094
COSIG @cosig.net · 25/12/2025Curl up by the fire and take a look at the Collection of Open Science Integrity Guides at cosig.net!cosig.netCOSIGThe Collection of Open Science Integrity Guides 021
COSIG @cosig.net · 25/12/2025Merry Christmas and happy holidays from COSIG's newly-named mascot, Sal Sleuthmander! 171
COSIG @cosig.net · 17/12/2025Last week, COSIG's team of maintainers finally got to meet up in person! @solalpirelli.bsky.social @reeserichardson.bsky.social 0101
Reposted by COSIGNature @nature.com · 11/12/2025Achal Agrawal realised how ingrained research misconduct had become, and resolved to do something about the issue He is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2025 go.nature.com/3Yk3d0Tgo.nature.comThis science sleuth revealed a retraction crisis at Indian universitiesAchal Agrawal is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2025. 02912
COSIG @cosig.net · 07/12/2025Are you keeping up with @abalkina.bsky.social's advent calendar? It is a great way to practice spotting publication integrity issues! 010
COSIG @cosig.net · 05/12/2025Congratulations to one of COSIG's first contributors, @elisabethbik.bsky.social ! 110
Reposted by COSIGAnna Abalkina @abalkina.bsky.social · 01/12/2025Happy Advent! !!!🎄✨ Welcome to a new edition of the Research Integrity Advent Calendar. Each day brings a small challenge: spot the problem, detect inconsistencies, and sharpen your skills. Enjoy the season and the daily puzzles! Day 1. papermills.tilda.ws/advent2025 04325
COSIG @cosig.net · 26/11/2025This Thursday, COSIG maintainer @reeserichardson.bsky.social will be presenting on using COSIG to spot problematic papers! Registration details below. 041
COSIG @cosig.net · 24/11/2025Scientific articles often report data in tables. COSIG's latest guide covers methods to export these tables into a spreadsheet editor like Microsoft Excel! COSIG (32 guides and growing!) is available at cosig.net. 072
COSIG @cosig.net · 19/11/2025Our as-yet-nameless friend was drawn up by COSIG maintainer Yagmur Ozturk! See his real-life counterpart here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese...en.wikipedia.orgChinese giant salamander - Wikipedia 020
COSIG @cosig.net · 19/11/2025COSIG has a new mascot but he doesn't yet have a name! Any suggestions? 252
COSIG @cosig.net · 16/11/2025Check out the latest issue of REACH magazine from @sci-integrity.com, which features COSIG on page 42! www.sci-integrity.com/reach-octobe...sci-integrity.comREACH October-December 2025 | Science Integrity AllianceREACH is a modern, interactive, and comprehensive digital magazine designed to meet the shared needs of all stakeholders in the research community. 073
COSIG @cosig.net · 14/11/2025Thanks to Charles Khouri for contributing material on this subject! Read his team's analysis of low-quality pharmacovigilance studies here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...doi.orgThe Rising Misuse of Pharmacovigilance Reporting Systems: A Threat to Evidence-Based MedicineIn recent years, different national and international regulatory authorities, notably the FDA, have made their adverse event repositories publicly available, offering user-friendly dashboards. This ha... 020
COSIG @cosig.net · 14/11/2025COSIG's formulaic research guide: osf.io/24dhu All of COSIG is available at cosig.net.osf.ioOSF 100
COSIG @cosig.net · 14/11/2025The FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) is useful for identifying potential adverse events associated with drugs. However, its data is often exploited to produce articles reporting spurious drug risks. COSIG's entry on formulaic research now covers low-quality pharmacovigilance studies! 184
COSIG @cosig.net · 17/10/2025COSIG has a new landing page! Check it out at cosig.net. (Files for COSIG are still hosted on OSF!) 1127
COSIG @cosig.net · 25/09/2025What is a "calculation chain" file? How can I easily identify duplicated values in a table? COSIG's 31st guide is all about data forensics using Microsoft Excel! osf.io/bz725 As always, all guides are available at cosig.net. 0124
COSIG @cosig.net · 17/09/2025pubpeer.com/publications...pubpeer.comPubPeer - TFPI-2 suppresses breast cancer cell proliferation and invas...There are comments on PubPeer for publication: TFPI-2 suppresses breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion through regulation of ERK signaling and interaction with actinin-4 and myosin-9 (2018) 000
COSIG @cosig.net · 17/09/2025Adjusting the black/white levels in an image can reveal inconsistencies barely perceptible to the naked eye. A 2018 article in Scientific Reports was just retracted as a result of several such inconsistencies. Check out COSIG's guide on software for image forensics here: osf.io/g23pf 100
COSIG @cosig.net · 08/09/2025This Friday, September 12, COSIG maintainer @reeserichardson.bsky.social will be participating in a panel discussion (16:00 CEST, 10:00 AM EDT) as part of the all-day event "Making Sense of Open Science" hosted by the Czech Academy of Sciences. Watch online! www.projekt-amulet.cz/index.php/en...projekt-amulet.czPublic Hearing on Open Science | Project AMULETMaking Sense of Open SciencePublic Hearing on the Principles and Practices of Data Management, Publishing Regimes, and Public Engagement in Science Location: Rooms 205 and 206, main building of the Cz... 045