New York Times deplores misconduct that results in biomedical publication retractions

New York Times : Responding to evidence that fraud, plagiarism, and other misconduct explain most biomedical publication retractions, a recent New York Times editorial calls the news “a revealing glimpse of the pressures driving many scientists to improper conduct.” The editors observe that many theories explain “why retractions and fraud have increased.” They report that “a benign view suggests that because journals are now published online and more accessible to a wider audience, it’s easier for experts to spot erroneous or fraudulent papers,” but “a darker view suggests that publish-or-perish pressures in the race to be first with a finding and to place it in a prestigious journal has [sic] driven scientists to make sloppy mistakes or even falsify data.” They conclude, “The solutions are not obvious, but clearly greater vigilance by reviewers and editors is needed.”