Popular Epistemology Digest — 22 August 2026
News and views on the sources and systems behind what we know and believe.
Defamation suit demanding Elsevier retract paper heads closer to trial
2026-08-21 · Retraction Watch
A $1 billion defamation lawsuit against Elsevier, brought by air purification company Global Plasma Solutions, has been set for trial after plaintiffs alleged the publisher ran a manipulated study over peer reviewers' objections. Elsevier has already been sanctioned $10,000 by a judge in the case.
Ceramics journal pulls dozens of papers flagged for integrity concerns
2026-08-20 · Retraction Watch
Ceramics International has retracted 56 papers so far this year citing image overlap, data integrity concerns, and suspicious authorship changes. More than 50 of the retractions were requested by an independent publishing expert brought in to review the journal's content.
Sage issues dozens of retractions from two journals it acquired
2026-08-17 · Retraction Watch
Sage has retracted batches of articles from two journals it acquired from IOS Press in 2023, citing peer review manipulation and related integrity concerns. The first tranche of 43 papers was retracted in July from the Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems.
Weekend reads: Tragic news on former Cambridge prof; A 'never AI' research company was AI after all; OpenAI's math breakthroughs don't add up
2026-08-15 · Retraction Watch
Retraction Watch's weekend roundup notes the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who had recently been the subject of multiple news stories including coverage at Retraction Watch. The edition also touches on stories involving a research company's undisclosed AI use and questions about OpenAI's reported mathematical advances.
Princeton student says she did not conduct the experiments described in her now-retracted paper
2026-08-14 · Retraction Watch
Princeton student Rishika Porandla, who recently retracted a paper from an engineering journal over methodological errors, has told Retraction Watch that she never actually performed the experiments described in the study. She characterized the described beam experiment as a proposed workflow rather than completed research.
JAMA journal won't retract oxycodone paper despite author request, citing no 'falsification'
2026-08-13 · Retraction Watch
JAMA Internal Medicine has declined to retract a paper on oxycodone therapy for osteoarthritis despite a petition that included two of the study's original authors. The retraction request was prompted by court records, approximately 19 years old, indicating the study's sponsor withheld evidence about opioid withdrawal.
Making a 'Plan B' for the AI Boom
2026-08-22 · Google Alerts
Former IBM CEO Sam Palmisano has argued that the AI boom rests on long-cycle investments in data centers, chips, and energy infrastructure, even as AI software continues to evolve rapidly.
