How many papers are being reviewed?
Only a very small fraction of our research is the subject of this review process. The Dana-Farber authors mentioned in recent articles have published many papers over the course of their respective careers and have made tremendous contributions to the field of cancer research, and more importantly, to the lives of thousands of cancer patients around the world.
Does this affect my care or the quality of patient care at Dana-Farber?
Absolutely not. This is in no way related to the care you receive at Dana-Farber. While our research is an important part of what we do, we remain focused on providing the highest quality patient care.
What are you doing about this?
We are deeply committed to ensuring the accuracy of research conducted under our oversight, and we have a strong process for evaluating possible errors, led by our Office of Research Integrity. We have full confidence in this process.
- We take each allegation seriously. Each alleged error or discrepancy is carefully reviewed. As required by federal regulations, and in accordance with Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber policies, allegations which meet specific criteria and raise questions of potential misconduct are then subjected to a prescribed process that is both rigorous and often, time-consuming.
- We know from experience that errors are often unintentional and do not rise to the level of research misconduct. Correcting the scientific record is a common practice of institutions with strong research integrity processes, such as ours.
How did duplicated images end up in the research papers?
It’s important to remember that the presence of image discrepancies in a paper is not evidence of an intent to deceive. That conclusion can only be drawn after a careful, fact-based examination, which is an integral part of our response.
Part of the research integrity process that we follow is to determine IF in fact there are errors. We will continue to review any credible concerns about research accuracy. We know from experience that errors are often unintentional. Correcting the scientific record is a common practice of institutions such as ours with strong research integrity processes.
The AI tool being used is not always accurate. Authors going back to their original data have reported that, in some instances, the claim that an image has been duplicated is, in fact, wrong.
Did Dana-Farber know about this before the stories came out?
In many cases, the papers in question were already being examined and, where warranted, in the process of being corrected.
What does this mean for the future of cancer research at Dana-Farber?
As we have for 75 years, we will continue to lead the way in cancer research. It is part of who we are, and more importantly, it is what drives transformational change in cancer care. Our research fuels our mission to reduce or erase the burden of cancer.