The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $15 million settlement by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with the U.S. government and Sholto David, the research integrity sleuth who had spotted duplicated or misrepresented images in papers the center’s scientists cited in federal grant applications. Others in the small but influential sleuth community are delighted by the settlement, which will award David himself $2.63 million, minus taxes, because they believe it offers a cautionary tale for scientists who might engage in scientific misconduct.

Last year, David identified problematic images and other data issues in 57 cancer biology papers authored by Dana-Farber scientists, including several senior leaders. Some papers appeared in top journals, including Science. His findings, posted on the blog For Better Science, sparked dozens of corrections and retractions. Noting that the suspect work had been used in National Institutes of Health grant applications, he later filed a suit against Dana-Farber under the federal False Claims Act, which applies to potential fraud involving federal funding.

Source https://www.science.org/content/article/misconduct-sleuth-wins-2-63-million-major-cancer-institute-15-million-settlement

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