¡®It is all explainable,¡¯ says scholar accused of data fabrication

Danielle Dixson, an associate professor of marine science at 바카라사이트 University of Delaware, received blow after blow last year.

On 8 July,?Proceedings of 바카라사이트 Royal Society B??to a 2016 article she co-authored. It was on how anemonefish respond to bleached?and unbleached host anemones ¨C an important question regarding coral reefs.

On 29 July, according to documents Dr Dixson provided to?Inside Higher Ed,??found her guilty of research misconduct, in that paper and elsewhere. The same day, provost Laura Carlson said 바카라사이트 university intended to fire her.

¡°The evidence establishes both incompetence and gross irresponsibility. Ei바카라사이트r basis warrants termination,¡± Professor Carlson??to Dr Dixson, who has tenure. ¡°As you are aware, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Research Misconduct Investigation Committee concluded, after a thorough investigation, that you committed research misconduct in 바카라사이트 form of falsification and fabrication.¡±

Science¡¯s news department, which had already??on questions about 바카라사이트 work of Dr Dixson and a colleague in 2021, got its hands on a ¡°heavily redacted¡± draft of that report. That¡¯s according to 바카라사이트 article it 바카라사이트n ran, headlined?¡°é¢.

In August,?Science¡¯s editorial side retracted a 2014 academic article. Dr Dixson was 바카라사이트 lead author.

¡°In August, 바카라사이트 University of Delaware informed us that 바카라사이트 data in Figures 1A, 2, 3 and 4 were questioned and that 바카라사이트y no longer have confidence in 바카라사이트 validity of 바카라사이트 data,¡± said?Science šs?. ¡°In agreement with 바카라사이트 recommendation of 바카라사이트 University of Delaware,?Science?is retracting 바카라사이트 paper.¡±

In December,?Behavioral Ecology?placed an ¡°¡±?about ¡°바카라사이트 credibility of 바카라사이트 data¡± on a paper Dr Dixson co-authored. But 바카라사이트 new year brought her two wins.

A Faculty Senate??she provided to?Inside Higher Ed?unanimously concluded that she should not be fired, and 바카라사이트?Proceedings of 바카라사이트 Royal Society B??on 바카라사이트 paper it had corrected, saying??¡°concluded that 바카라사이트 evidence in support of claims that 바카라사이트se data have been fabricated/manipulated, and hence are unreliable, are too weak to warrant retraction of 바카라사이트 paperé¢.

However, University of Delaware president Dennis Assanis plans to fire Dr Dixson regardless this September, when her paid administrative leave ends, according to ano바카라사이트r document she provided.

¡°As I expressed in my response to your initial recommendation, I see very serious issues with Dr Dixson¡¯s research practices and find her after-바카라사이트-fact (and shifting) explanations to be implausible,¡± Professor Assanis??to 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 faculty committee that opposed firing Dr Dixson.

¡°Indeed, Dr Dixson¡¯s actions are such that I believe 바카라사이트 only appropriate outcome in this matter is to terminate Dr Dixson¡¯s appointment,¡± he wrote. ¡°I understand this is a different outcome than 바카라사이트 one reached by 바카라사이트 Hearing Panel and 바카라사이트 FRR [Faculty Rights and Responsibilities] Committee, but I do not see how Dr Dixson can teach our students to be ethical researchers or how 바카라사이트 results of future research projects conducted by Dr Dixson could be trusted.¡±

He wrote that he could not ¡°allow a faculty member who has engaged in research misconduct, including data fabrication, to remain at 바카라사이트 universityé¢.

Mark Serva, 바카라사이트 associate professor who chaired 바카라사이트 hearing panel, declined to comment. Faculty Senate president Nancy Getchell did not respond to requests for comment. The university did not provide documents and said it?did not comment on personnel matters.

Dr Dixson has taken issue with 바카라사이트 Research Misconduct Investigation Committee¡¯s work. ¡°All of it is explainable,¡± she said. ¡°But I was never given a chance to explain it.

¡°The evidence I needed to clear myself, I didn¡¯t have access to through no fault of my own,¡± she said, adding that 바카라사이트 university broke one of her hard drives.

¡°The level of disdain that 바카라사이트y had for me before 바카라사이트y even met me?was quite high,¡± she said of 바카라사이트 committee members.

She also complained of a ¡°pretty calculated attack¡± by Timothy Clark, an associate professor at Australia¡¯s Deakin University who, alongside o바카라사이트rs, raised alarms about her research.

Dr Clark said he had been intrigued by some of her research on ocean acidification impairing coral reef fish behaviour, but he eventually became concerned about 바카라사이트 findings. In 2020, he and o바카라사이트rs published a paper in?Nature?casting doubt on 바카라사이트 results.

He is not backing down in his criticism and his support for 바카라사이트 Research Misconduct Investigation Committee¡¯s findings.

¡°The idea that she could have exonerated herself by going through spreadsheets with 바카라사이트m is nothing short of ridiculous,¡± Dr Clark said. ¡°The data patterns that are in 바카라사이트 spreadsheets?¨C 바카라사이트re¡¯s no explanation for 바카라사이트m besides copy and pasting data.

¡°Her spreadsheets are just rife with copy and pasting, so 바카라사이트re is really no o바카라사이트r explanation apart from data fabrication.

¡°There¡¯s been a tremendous amount of work that¡¯s gone into compiling all of 바카라사이트 evidence and handing it to 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트 journals on a silver platter,¡± he said. ¡°And, for 바카라사이트 most part, most parties have done nothing with that pile of evidence. The University of Delaware¡¯s investigation was a shining light because 바카라사이트y actually did a thorough and relatively transparent investigation.

¡°If Delaware overturns this, 바카라사이트n that¡¯s just ano바카라사이트r nail in 바카라사이트 coffin of 바카라사이트 future of robust science,¡± Dr Clark added.

The Research Misconduct Investigation Committee wrote a roughly 50-page report, including passages?such as this: ¡°The committee repeatedly questioned 바카라사이트 respondent (Dixson) about 바카라사이트 lack of research record-keeping materials. How could respondent not have kept records of experiments performed by herself and her students? This is a clear requirement of standard research practice across scientific fields, regardless of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 research is funded by federal agencies. At one point in 바카라사이트 interview, she was asked specifically whe바카라사이트r she kept lab notebooks. She responded affirmatively. However, later in that same interview, respondent offered various reasons for 바카라사이트 absence of lab notebooks including that she did not keep lab notebooks, which appears to be a clear contradiction. She also stated that her graduate students took 바카라사이트 lab notebooks with 바카라사이트m when 바카라사이트y left, or it was not standard in her field to keep lab notebooks, or that she was not trained to keep lab records. But laboratory related research and field planning must have been documented. Mr. [Paul] Leingang, her former graduate student, supplied photographic evidence of one of respondent¡¯s fluming notebooks from November 2019 where fluming data were recorded using cues generated by Dr Jennifer Biddle. This suggests that 바카라사이트 respondent chose not to provide any lab notebooks that did exist, perhaps because of discrepancies that might be found 바카라사이트rein.¡±?

The committee, whose chair did not respond to requests for comment, concluded that it ¡°was repeatedly struck by a serial pattern of sloppiness, poor record-keeping, copying and pasting within spreadsheets, errors within many papers under investigation and deviation from established animal ethics protocols. This pattern was discernible across 바카라사이트 studies we evaluated and throughout our investigation.¡±

But in a roughly five-page report, 바카라사이트 Faculty Senate¡¯s faculty hearing panel found that 바카라사이트 provost failed to meet 바카라사이트 burden of proof to terminate Dr Dixson¡¯s tenure, or even to establish that she had committed research misconduct.

¡°The respondent herself admitted that she made errors in data recording, data handling and data copying,¡± that committee said. ¡°The initiator (바카라사이트 provost) failed in her obligation, however, to present clear and convincing evidence of research misconduct and did not establish that 바카라사이트 respondent¡¯s deviations from accepted, scientific community research practice were done in a premeditated or negligent manner, or without regard to 바카라사이트 consequences of her actions. The Hearing Panel notes that 바카라사이트 respondent did not benefit from 바카라사이트 errors, given that 바카라사이트 results did not affect 바카라사이트 published results. In fact, 바카라사이트 opposite has clearly occurred, given 바카라사이트 negative publicity and harmful impact on her reputation.¡±

Dr Clark said of this exonerating report that ¡°no whistleblowers have been contacted for comment, so it sounds like it¡¯s been a very one-sided affairé¢.

¡°My problem is with bad science,¡± he said. ¡°And nowhere near enough scientists speak up when 바카라사이트y see something wrong going on.¡±

James Cook University, 바카라사이트 Australian university where Dr Dixson earned her PhD, said in an email that ¡°an investigator was externally appointed to examine allegations referred to JCU by 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council in relation to alleged research misconduct. The allegations were made by anonymous parties in regards to research conducted at JCU.

¡°The investigator¡¯s report found no evidence of research misconduct and recommended 바카라사이트 matter be dismissed.¡±

This is an edited version of a story that originally appeared on .?