Chemist nears three dozen retractions for image duplication, self-citation and more
Retraction Watch • • world
Key Points:
- Chemist Hitler Louis, also known as Louis Hitler Muzong, has had 35 papers retracted over 24 months due to issues including duplicated plots, citation manipulation, compromised peer review, and fundamental scientific errors.
- Many retracted papers were published in Elsevier and Royal Society of Chemistry journals, with Elsevier investigating following a whistleblower's report; 20 of the retractions come from Elsevier journals.
- Louis removed his University of Leeds affiliation from retracted papers and his LinkedIn profile, which now only states he works in chemistry in Nigeria, while coauthor Innocent Benjamin claims citation issues were about context rather than data fabrication.
- Retraction notices also highlight compromised peer review involving biased reviewers demanding irrelevant citations, as well as substantial
