Thread by @forensicmed

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" (John Lydon)

The publication of this letter & the nature of its correction raises questions about the reliability of the academic record.

@llantwit @FFLMUK @RCPath @AAPTTweets @mike4path @Richard56 @JJPJ #autopsy

THREAD

1/14

https://twitter.com/RetractionWatch/status/1263773214343262209

When the letter by Won Sriwijitalai & Viroj Wiwanitkit was published in #JFLM, fact-checking journalists @SureAndShare in Thailand shared their concerns about it on @Twitter & @Facebook.

2/14

@SureAndShare were concerned that they were unable to verify who the 1st author was (or where they worked), or the death of a #forensic #medical professional from #COVID19. They cautioned against sharing the story.

3/14

Caution, however, was lacking in the media; the content of the letter was repeated with varying degrees of sensationalism (@FoxNews @TheSunUS @Telegraph @LiveScience @MailOnline). @dvergano @BuzzFeedNews showed some curiosity & dug deeper.

4/14

That a #forensic #medical practitioner had died of #COVID19 in Thailand could not be verified. No-one apparently had become infected after contact with a dead body. Readers of the @SureAndShare post & the @MailOnline story suggested it was #fakenews.

5/14 @FFLMUK @AAPTTweets

@dvergano @BuzzFeedNews published a correction & a new story. Un-retracted, the letter in #JFLM is the most downloaded item from the last 90 days. It's correction remains 'in press'.

6/14

So who are the authors of this letter? Won Sriwijitalai is a bit of an enigma, but has 23 publications listed @ResearchGate, 7 of which are #COVID19-related letters to editors (co-authored with Viroj Wiwanitkit, a medical Professor).

7/14

Prof. Wiwanitkit is an academic publishing 'big hitter': @ResearchGate lists some 993 publications including 57 #COVID19-related items, mainly letters to editors. According to his @AlliedMeetings profile he has the most publications of any Thai scientist (>1000).

8/14

Those publications are in a real potpourri of subjects/ fields: the #COVID19-related letters alone cover #epidemiology, #pathology, #paediatrics, #orthopaedics, #dermatology, #cardiology, #ophthalmology, #gastroenterology, #rheumatology, #neurology, & #oncology. Phew!

9/14

In addition to being a publication-machine, Prof. Wiwanitkit has an exhausting editorial life: he is editor-in-chief/editorial director/editorial board member for ~ 32 journals covering many medical subjects as well as veterinary science & robotics.

10/14 @stoppredatoryj

Incredibly, the day before submitting the now-corrected letter to #JFLM, the same authors had a letter accepted by @WileyGlobal for the European Journal of Clinical Investigation, decrying the dissemination of false information at a time of crisis.

11/14

When we are unable to trust that academic publishers will shield us from unreliable information, what are we to do? One would hope that editors would at least show some curiosity about accepted authors & be alert when alarm bells ring.

12/14 @llantwit @CardiffJomec

If it is not realistic to expect editors & publishers to do basic fact-checking, perhaps dedicated personnel are needed to do that job for them? When significant concerns are raised by others, post-publication, the response should be more robust than issuing corrections.

13/14

Having run with the story presented by Sriwijitalai & Wiwanitkit, the media ought now to follow @dvergano's example & issue their own corrections: @DaveAaro @daniellecinone @niccijsmith @LauraGeggel @tpstickings

14/14 @ivanoransky

I can’t remember exactly who told me to read ‘Flat Earth News’ @Bynickdavies. Maybe @llantwit @CardiffJomec when we did some joint teaching for @CardiffMBBChC21 #meded students on distortion of #science & #medicine stories in the media. Anyway, read it! #fakenews @RilesinWales