Investigation finds University of Calgary researchers manipulated data

CALGARY- A neuroscientist has resigned from the University of Calgary, after a investigation found his team was manipulating data.

Dr. Cory Toth conducted research involving diabetes, ALS and dementia. Suspicions were raised back in January 2013 on the website Retraction Watch, prompting an investigation from the U of C that found research was manipulated.

As a result, nine studies authored by Toth dating back to 2008 have had to be retracted. They were published in prestigious medical journals such as Neurosciences, Neurobiology of Disease, Brain, Diabetes, and Molecular Pain, and retraction notices have since been posted stating ‘portions of the data were not performed properly and represent manipulation.’

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“In this case what happened was a lot of the figures in the papers—sort of the scientific illustrations, if you will—turned out to have data that was made up,” explains Ivan Oransky, the founder of Retraction Watch. “Later on what sort of came out of this was that at best Dr. Toth was not supervising his post doc well enough.”

He adds that such cases can have future implications.

‘You poison the well a little bit when you have a paper like this, or in this case nine papers like this. These papers were cited dozens of times.

“This is as far as we can tell the largest number of infractions we’ve ever seen from a single researcher in Canada.”

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Toth responded to the report, saying, “this has been a devastatingly bad year for my laboratory and my career.

“I am significantly apologetic, remorseful, and embarrassed that this occurred under my watch. Please know that I will not be publishing in the world of science in the future.”

Toth resigned in March.