28 votes

Chemist Hitler Louis nears three dozen retractions for image duplication, self-citation and more

13 comments

  1. [7]
    updawg
    Link
    That's his name. He's not the chemistry version of Hitler. I would like to give credit to Retraction Watch for being better than I am and not using an obvious, justified clickbait headline. So I'm...

    That's his name. He's not the chemistry version of Hitler.

    I would like to give credit to Retraction Watch for being better than I am and not using an obvious, justified clickbait headline. So I'm not going to provide any quotes and make you actually click through to the article.

    19 votes
    1. [3]
      an_angry_tiger
      Link Parent
      I had to re-read the title a few times to confirm that yes, that's the name, and that's what it actually says, wasn't misreading it. Other cultures, especially Africa and India I've found, really...

      I had to re-read the title a few times to confirm that yes, that's the name, and that's what it actually says, wasn't misreading it.

      Other cultures, especially Africa and India I've found, really don't seem to shy away from just naming kids after known names like Hitler or Stalin or the like, and boy that's gotta get weird.

      8 votes
      1. csos95
        Link Parent
        This comes up in Tevor Noah's book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in a chapter titled "Go Hitler!". It's a funny chapter that was like watching a slow motion train wreck as I...

        This comes up in Tevor Noah's book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in a chapter titled "Go Hitler!".

        It's a funny chapter that was like watching a slow motion train wreck as I read it.

        https://theinclusionsolution.me/a-point-of-view-a-dancer-named-hitler-performing-at-a-jewish-school-what-could-go-wrong-trevor-noah/

        5 votes
    2. [3]
      CptBluebear
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      You wrote his name wrong, it's Louis. Edit: since the title was editing I'll just say I said this because I thought it was funny to focus solely on the Lewis<>Louis error like the rest of the...

      You wrote his name wrong, it's Louis.

      Edit: since the title was editing I'll just say I said this because I thought it was funny to focus solely on the Lewis<>Louis error like the rest of the title didn't say "chemist Hitler".

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        balooga
        Link Parent
        Yeah that’s an unfortunate name but from what I can dig up he goes by Louis Muzong.

        Yeah that’s an unfortunate name but from what I can dig up he goes by Louis Muzong.

        3 votes
        1. updawg
          Link Parent
          The article says "Louis – who also goes by Louis Hitler Muzong."

          The article says "Louis – who also goes by Louis Hitler Muzong."

          2 votes
  2. entitled-entilde
    Link
    By my count, all but one of the 35 retracted works are published in journals that require the author to pay. Most of these are fallback journals for when you fail peer review. I don't get the...

    By my count, all but one of the 35 retracted works are published in journals that require the author to pay. Most of these are fallback journals for when you fail peer review. I don't get the motive here, that’s a lot of his own money down the drain for a publication record that says “I fail a lot”….

    6 votes
  3. [5]
    scirocco
    Link
    Well at least one of the associated names is cooperative. Is it possible that the affiliation with Leeds University is entirely fictional? That's the vibe I (an uninformed non-academic) was...

    Well at least one of the associated names is cooperative.

    Is it possible that the affiliation with Leeds University is entirely fictional?

    That's the vibe I (an uninformed non-academic) was getting ...

    3 votes
    1. [4]
      TheMediumJon
      Link Parent
      The Also sounds clumsy, but might just be genuine or LinkedIn auto-adding a prefix?

      The

      University of Chinese Academy of sciences

      Also sounds clumsy, but might just be genuine or LinkedIn auto-adding a prefix?

      2 votes
      1. sparksbet
        Link Parent
        The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院大学) is a real university. It was originally established as the graduate school for the University of Science and Technology of China...

        The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院大学) is a real university. It was originally established as the graduate school for the University of Science and Technology of China (中国科学技术大学) and was the first graduate school in China. According to wikipedia it produced a lot of the first STEM doctorates in China. It became an independent legal entity rather than a part of USTC in 2012. It is a university that is owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院), hence the awkward name in English. The name is more natural-sounding in Mandarin, because it's more normal even in formal contexts to just place nouns next to each other for names like this: a more literal (but less natural in English) translation of 中国科学院 could be "China science academy" and for 中国科学院大学 would simply be "China science academy university".

        2 votes
      2. [2]
        updawg
        Link Parent
        It does, but the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force sounds worse, yet it is an entirely real thing.

        It does, but the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force sounds worse, yet it is an entirely real thing.

        1 vote
        1. TheMediumJon
          Link Parent
          I guess it might be a consequence of the translation as well.

          I guess it might be a consequence of the translation as well.

          1 vote