In 2022, a Dutch scientist flagged duplication of text and signs of manipulation in images presented in a 2004 research paper co-authored by one of India’s leading virologists, Nivedita Gupta. On 26 May 2022, the peer-reviewed journal, Mycopathologia, retracted the paper, though at the time, Gupta denied the accusations, reiterating that her research was path-breaking. It was one of the first in India to document the spread of Candida infections in a burn ward, she said. The national and international science community waited to see what action would be taken. A day later, Nivedita Gupta was made head of virology at the Indian Council of Medical Research.
In the two years since Elizabeth Bik— a Dutch scientist who specialises in finding published research papers with integrity issues—called out Gupta’s work, ICMR issued no statement on whether any inquiry was initiated or if action was taken against Gupta. But since then, scientific research from India has come under increased scrutiny—not from ‘foreigners’ with access to unlimited resources but a small army of academic watchdogs within the country.
By day, members of India Research Watchdog are scientists, researchers, students and data analysts at private and public institutes. By night, they are sleuths, pouring through published papers, acting on anonymous tips and sharing information on Discord—a popular instant messaging and VoIP platform. Their mission is to investigate authors of research papers who are suspected of scientific misconduct. The subject of their investigation may not be heinous crimes—but it is a question of protecting the research integrity in India.
“No hero or fairy is going to clean up the mess in Indian Academia in an instant. Indian academia needs to seek a transformation from within,” IRW declares in its X bio…
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