Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) has recommended retracting seven metal corrosion papers after finding that former postdoctoral researcher Joseph Raj Xavier deliberately manipulated images in the published work.
In its Sept. 29 report, NIMS recommended that Xavier and former group leader Toshiya Nishimura retract the papers, identified in the inquiry as Papers 2 through 8. They were published from 2014 to 2017. The institute also found self-plagiarism in six of them.
The committee found signs that images had been resized, turned or assembled from separate portions. It judged figure reuse highly likely and concluded that Xavier acted alone and deliberately.
The inquiry covered 23 papers. Of eight published with a NIMS affiliation, investigators found misconduct in seven and none in the eighth. For 15 papers published under other affiliations, they considered it highly likely that Xavier had reused altered figures from earlier work. They made no formal misconduct findings on those papers and asked his current institution to investigate.
NIMS found no evidence that Nishimura took part in the misconduct. It said he had not adequately reviewed one manuscript for which he was the corresponding author. The report also found that Xavier added Nishimura to six other papers without his permission after leaving the institute.
Retraction Watch's leaderboard listed 41 retractions for Xavier as of Oct. 19. The outlet reported that 10 of his papers had been retracted this year.
Four of the seven papers appeared in Springer Nature journals and two in Elsevier journals. Retraction Watch reported that Springer Nature's head of Research Integrity, Tim Kersjes, said the publisher was investigating relevant articles. Elsevier also told the outlet it was investigating.
NIMS said Xavier rejected the allegations but did not provide supporting research data in response to written inquiries. According to the report, he stopped communicating after being told a hearing would be held. The committee cited a possible incentive to increase his publication count and inadequate management of laboratory records and data among factors that may have contributed; it did not establish those as motives.
NIMS said it had not received Xavier's response within the period set by its regulations on whether he would comply with the retraction recommendation. NIMS's Legal Affairs and Compliance Office told Retraction Watch it planned to inform the journals of the investigation's findings.
