New suspicions of scientific fraud in Spain

• A former researcher at the CNIC has been fired for alleged fraud scientist.
• Suspicions also fly over the IDIBELL in Barcelona.

A researcher awarded by the European Union with two million euros has been dismissed from the National Center Cardiovascular research (CNIC) for alleged scientific fraud, as published by the journalist Manuel Ansede in The Country .

The molecular biologist Susana González, who worked in the field of epigenetic , was fired by the company led by Valentin Fuster on 29 February. Although the information revealed by Subject scientific denies the allegations, the internal investigation of the center, along with doubts thrown by PubPeer contradict these claims.

the case of Doñana suspicions in Barcelona

the case of Gonzalez, despite not having been confirmed, is not the only which he has made flying over suspicions of scientific fraud in our country. In 2012, Rafael Mendez uncorked a similar story in El País . A researcher at the Biological Station of Doñana, CSIC belonging to , was denounced by lying and falsifying results. The charge was later confirmed as the research conducted by the Council revealed that Jesus Angel Lemus had lied or wrong in 24 17 papers published in scientific journals. A researcher Donana was fired after having lied or wrong results in 24 jobs

in recent weeks, the journalist Leonid Schneider has pointed out on his blog Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IDIBELL) in Barcelona. Suspicions focus on the Portuguese scientific Sonia Melo, who did his PhD under the direction of Manel Esteller, one of the leading figures of research in Spain. According to information published by Schneider, IDIBELL is internally studying this case, which Melo, who currently works in Oporto, has been away from funding the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

suspicions about this alleged case of scientific fraud began in late January 2016, when a joint work published by Esteller and Melo was removed from the magazine Nature Genetics to have duplicate images. Reticence on the research also extend to other centers where he made stays after completing his doctorate, as the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas or the Institute of Pathology and Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto . From Hipertextual have put us in touch with the IDIBELL for comment on the case. At the time of publication of this article he had not received any response from the center, but we will update as soon as possible.

scientific fraud is pursued?

An organized day between Fundación Rafael del Pino and the CSIC addressed the issue of scientific fraud in Spain in 2013. The conclusions of the event were really worrying, since according to the analysis, has increased tenfold since 1975, putting at risk the progress of the investigation. the scientific fraud in Spain has increased tenfold since 1975

As explained Lluís Montoliu, the National Center for Biotechnology, “scientists, like other groups, we only have, really, our professional integrity and credibility. If delude and no turning back. there is no choice. you can be whatever you want the rest of your life, but it never scientist. The shortcuts are paid very expensive in this profession. ” Their valuations are a reality in the research career, as demonstrated by the case of Lemus, in which the CSIC decided not to renew the contract.

According to sources consulted by this means, avoid ” plagiarism is part of the duties of researchers, along with those made extensible in Article 15 of the Ley of Science, Technology and Innovation 2011 “. This “deviation” and qualified within the Code of Good Practice CSIC, is rejected by the research community. But what about scientific fraud?

According to the same source, “in cases where it can be seen fraud or scam, or even those figures as embezzlement of public funds or undue approval, would circumscribing the matter to criminal matters which make no distinction regarding the actus reus and focuses on pure, and not the purely administrative framework that regulates the own CSIC and those who have under its umbrella as official or temporary staff during the period of its mandate. ” In this regard, the Code Council also calls the scientific fraud as “deviation”, saying they were “ultimate responsibility of the scientist who practices”. For this reason, the document refers to three mechanisms to combat scientific fraud, in addition to those contained in the legislation itself:

1. The obligation of researchers to submit to criticism by peer review, any new contribution, as well as the possibility that other researchers independently, contrasting results.
2. The commitment of the scientific community, both national and international, to denounce and combat fraud.
3. the coordination of all actors, both national and international, involved in scientific research, surveillance tasks fraud and systematic persecution.

the suspicions of scientific fraud that fly over again are, however, isolated cases that should not dirty the work of other researchers. And is that according to the Instituto National Statistics 2013, the number of scientists in Spain exceeded the 123,000 people. The stories mentioned, if confirmed, should itself however serve to promote a specific regulation in which plagiarism, scientific fraud and the like “deviations” were persecuted expressly. The objective? In any case try to promote the progress of research without using shortcuts.