Sep 25, 2024
Healthcare Trends
An extensive investigation has uncovered significant data integrity issues in 263 research papers, including duplicate publications and statistical inconsistencies. These findings raise serious concerns about the reliability of his work and prompt calls for a formal collaborative investigation.
Data integrity is the cornerstone of credible scientific research. It ensures that findings are reliable, reproducible, and can be trusted by the scientific community and the public. Recently, a comprehensive investigation has raised serious concerns about the data integrity of 263 research papers authored by a single individual in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
The Investigation: Unveiling Data Integrity Issues
A team of researchers, including Jeremy Nielsen, Madeline Flanagan, Lyle C. Gurrin, Jim Thornton, and Ben W. Mol, conducted an in-depth analysis of the published works of Dr. A.M. Abbas. Their study, titled "Concerns about data integrity across 263 papers by one author," has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction.
The investigators aimed to scrutinize the integrity of all papers reporting on prospective clinical studies by this author. They assessed the feasibility of study methods, baseline characteristics, outcomes, and conducted pairwise comparisons to identify duplicate publications. Their methodology included checking for consistency between conference abstracts, interim analyses, trial registrations, and final papers.
Overview of the Author's Research Output
Dr. Abbas has an extensive publication record, with 263 papers claiming to have enrolled 74,667 participants between January 2009 and July 2022. A significant majority of these studies (72%) reported recruitment from the Assiut Women's Health Hospital in Assiut, Egypt. Notably, there was a surge in research activity between 2016 and 2019, with the highest number of active studies reaching 88 in May 2017.
Duplicate Studies
The investigation uncovered 21 instances of duplicate publications. In many cases, the same study was reported multiple times with inconsistencies in study design, dates, sample sizes, and results. For example, two papers reporting on cross-sectional studies of sexual dysfunction among Egyptian women presented identical baseline characteristics but differed in study periods and outcomes.
Statistical Inconsistencies and Unfeasible Results
A significant number of papers contained statistical anomalies, including identical summary statistics repeated across different studies and unfeasible data points. Some studies reported mathematically impossible results, such as physicians starting practice at an implausibly young age based on the reported average age and years of experience.
Unfeasible Recruitment and Authorship
The sheer volume of participants and studies conducted within overlapping time frames raised questions about the feasibility of recruitment processes. Additionally, the concentration of studies at a single center and the recurrence of the same authors across multiple papers further amplified these concerns.
The Implications for Scientific Research
The findings of this investigation have profound implications for the scientific community. Unreliable data can lead to incorrect conclusions, misinform clinical practices, and erode public trust in scientific research. The prevalence of data integrity issues in such a large body of work suggests systemic problems that need to be addressed.
Recommendations and Next Steps
The authors of the investigation urge journals and publishers to collaborate in a formal inquiry. They recommend requesting individual participant data and governance documents for all studies authored by Dr. Abbas. Such collective action is essential to maintain the integrity of scientific literature and to prevent the dissemination of potentially misleading information.
Conclusion
This extensive investigation highlights the critical need for rigorous data integrity checks in scientific publishing. It serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for widespread data fabrication or falsification by individual authors. The scientific community must remain vigilant and proactive in identifying and addressing such issues to uphold the standards of credible research.
Read in full in Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction
Nielsen, J., Flanagan, M., Gurrin, L. C., Thornton, J., & Mol, B. W. (2024). Concerns about data integrity across 263 papers by one author. Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogoh.2024.102794
This article is based on findings from the study "Concerns about data integrity across 263 papers by one author" and aims to summarize and discuss the implications of the research. For a comprehensive understanding, readers are encouraged to consult the original publication.