Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.
Retraction of Deb et al., Science 311 (5763) 992-996.

Science 27 July 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5837, p. 450
DOI: 10.1126/science.317.5837.450b
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Letters

Retraction

We wish to retract our Report "CDX2 gene expression and trophectoderm lineage specification in mouse embryos" (1). Allegations of research misconduct were received by the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) Provost, and an investigation found that the first author (K.D.) engaged in research misconduct by intentionally falsifying and fabricating digital images in the preparation of Figs. 4I; 4N; 4S; 2G; 3, J to L; S2, V to X; and S6, I to K accompanying the Science article. In addition, the original raw image files for the majority of the figures in the paper have not been located (the exceptions being the confocal scanning images in Figs. S1, S3, S4, S5, and S6), raising the possibility that the data they represent may also be suspect. We have decided to withdraw the article in its entirety in view of the fact that the paper was founded at least in part on falsified or fabricated images.

The corresponding author (R.M.R.) takes responsibility for placing excessive trust in his co-worker and for not assuring that a complete set of raw data existed at the time the questions first arose about the paper. We deeply regret any scientific misconceptions that have resulted from the publication of this article.

The first author resigned from MU shortly after the allegations of research misconduct were received and could not be found to sign the retraction.

R. Michael Roberts
Division of Animal Sciences
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211, USA

M. Sivaguru
Institute for Genomic Biology
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA

H. Y. Yong
BK21 Dental Research Institute
College of Dentistry
Seoul National University
28 Yongun-dong, Chongno-gu
Seoul 110-749, Korea

Reference

  1. K. Deb, M. Sivaguru, H. Y. Yong, R. M. Roberts, Science 311, 992 (2006).
Editor's Note: Science published an Editorial Expression of Concern (27 October 2006, p. 592) about this paper, which alerted readers to the then-ongoing investigation.

To Advertise     Find Products

ADVERTISEMENT

Featured Jobs

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)