Two reports of scientific misconduct were publicly released around 19 May this year, relating to work by graduate student Michael LaCour at the University of California, Los Angeles, and by surgeon Paolo Macchiarini at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute (see Nature 521, 406–407; 2015). Surprisingly, the unofficial report on LaCour's work spread like wildfire across the media, whereas the official report on Macchiarini's received relatively little attention.
This discrepancy could simply reflect popular interest in the different research areas investigated. But it is notable that the report on LaCour's work was in English (go.nature.com/5dyi6w), whereas that on Macchiarini's was first released in Swedish (go.nature.com/bzwaxt).
In my view, misconduct reports would be more useful if they were simultaneously translated into English, the common language of scientific discourse. This would allow the wider scientific community to immediately assess the validity of the claims and to avoid new research based on falsified findings.
Of the European non-English-speaking research integrity offices, only the Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty report in English. This hastens the all-important correction of the scientific record by enhancing accessibility and transparency.
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Hartgerink, C. Speed translation of misconduct reports. Nature 522, 419 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/522419d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/522419d
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