SCIENCE science.org 4 FEBRUARY 2022 • VOL 375 ISSUE 6580 489
Borrowed words
Science found several instances of apparent plagiarism in Steven Newmaster’s work. For example, a 2011 paper about millets on which he was the last author
contained text from two earlier papers (highlighted here), including references (bold) that Newmaster and his co-authors failed to add to their own reference list.
conceded he could not locate the sequencing
records. As to why the sequences were not
made public at the time, Newmaster says
he submitted them to BOLD but blamed its
staff for mishandling them. (Hebert, BOLD’s
scientific director, says records show
Newmaster never submitted the data, and
even if he had, BOLD’s published policy re-
quires a study’s project manager to ensure
the data go to GenBank as well.)
Newmaster also rejected allegations that
he concealed business interests in his pa-
pers. “[T]he only income I have had during
my tenure at the University of Guelph is my
University salary,” he wrote. Science filed
a request with UG for Newmaster’s out-
side income declarations, including from
his own companies; UG Vice President for
Research Malcolm Campbell responded
that the records are exempt from disclo-
sure. Purity-IQ, Songbird, and ParticleOne
declined to comment about Newmaster’s
compensation.
Science asked Little, from the New York
Botanical Garden, to review the allegation
letter, Newmaster’s response, and numer-
ous related documents and provide an inde-
pendent perspective on the case. Little calls
the large number of precisely replicated er-
rors in DNA sequences “bizarre” and sug-
gestive of data manipulation. “People will
get hit by cars,” he says. “But will two of
them be hit by cars while walking across the
same intersection on their hands at 4 a.m.?”
Newmaster’s claim that forest ecology
could explain the 80% match between the
data in the forest paper and those in the
graduate student thesis was “unbelievably
wrong,” Little adds. And the claim that
Newmaster and AAC both lost the same
sequencing records is implausible, he says,
given how zealously scientists and service
providers normally safeguard such data.
Overall, Little calls the allegations against
Newmaster credible. “The papers are at
best inaccurate and at worst fraudulent,”
he says. “The end result is the same: They
should be retracted and not trusted.”IN OCTOBER 2021—5 months after Thomp-
son had gone public with his concerns—
Biodiversity and Conservation reconsid-
ered and agreed to retract the forest paper.
GenBank has removed the DNA sequences
purportedly associated with the paper. The
UG inquiry into the three papers is ongo-
ing. At UG’s request, Canada’s Secretariat
on Responsible Conduct of Research ex-
tended the deadline for a decision until
June. Newman, the former dean, says he
hasn’t seen the allegations, but “if Steve
actually fabricated data for a publication
... I would just expect that’s career death.”
Yet, the composition of the investigative
committee makes Hebert and other critics
worry UG will again dismiss the allega-tions against Newmaster. University rules
require that such committees comprise the
dean of the College of Biological Sciences,
the associate vice president for research,
and a representative from outside UG. But
the final committee consists of a business
professor, the dean of UG’s veterinary col-
lege, and a psychologist from a nearby
university—none with a background in the
relevant science. (UG allows an accused sci-
entist to challenge the panel’s membership
if they suspect bias; it’s not clear whether
Newmaster did so.) In an email to Science, a
UG spokesperson wrote that the investiga-
tion is using “a fair and standard process”
and the university will “take appropriate ac-
tion based on the results.”
Given Newmaster’s high profile—and the
way the university has handled the case so
far—UG cannot be trusted to carry out an
even-handed probe, Thompson says. He de-
scribes his treatment by UG after he tried to
get his paper investigated as “gaslighting”—
being provided with a false impression that
his concerns were taken seriously. “We need
an independent body [from outside UG]
to review cases like this,” Thompson says.
“It’s the only solution to stop history from
repeating itself.” jWith reporting by Meagan Weiland and
Jenny Carpenter. This story was supported by
the Science Fund for Investigative Reporting.Malayali women prepare several dishes with millets for daily
consumption and for festivals. Millets’ use as a special food for
women’s prenatal care and the landrace quality are important factors
in maintaining this traditional resource. Pregnant and lactating
women in many households prefer a millet-based diet because it
provides energy and prevents weight gain. They believe that during
pregnancy, the consumption of millet helps to induce lactation and
maintain body temperature and energy levels after delivery.
Maloles et al., “The Fine Scale Ethnotaxa Classification of Millets in Southern
India,” Journal of Ethnobiology, 2011
Our research was conducted with the Malayali in the Kolli Hills,
which lie in Tamil Nadu’s Talaghat Plains (Bohle 1992), one
of a series of hills of the Eastern Ghats (Figure 1). Covering
approximately 282 square kilometers (Kumaran et al. 1998), the
Hills rise between 1000 and 1400 meters above sea level (Kumar-
Range 2001). Although surrounded by forest on the exterior, the
interior has been extensively cleared for agricultural purposes.
Presently, the area is approximately 51% agricultural land and
44% forest land (Kumar-Range 2001).
Maloles et al., “The Fine Scale Ethnotaxa Classification of Millets in Southern
India,” Journal of Ethnobiology, 2011
Text in a 2011 paper by Steven Newmaster and colleagues
Malayali women prepare several dishes with millets for daily
consumption and for festivals. Their use as a special food in
prenatal care of women and their fodder quality are important
factors in maintaining this traditional resource. Even nowadays
pregnant and lactating women in many households prefer a millet-
based diet. Millets provide energy and prevent weight gain. They
believe that during pregnancy the consumption of millet helps to
induce lactation and maintain body temperature after delivery.
R. Rengalakshmi, “Folk biological classification of minor millet species in
Kolli Hills, India,” Journal of Ethnobiology, 2005The Kolli Hills lie in Tamil Nadu’s Talaghat Plains (Bohle,
1992), one of a series of hills of the Eastern Ghats. Covering
approximately 282 square kilometers (Kumaran et al., 1998),
the Hills rise between 1000 and 1400 meters above sea
level (Kumar-Range, 2001). Although surrounded by forest
on the exterior, the interior has been extensively cleared for
agricultural purposes. Presently, the area is approximately 51%
agricultural land, and 44% forest land (Kumar-Range, 2001).
Elizabeth Finnis, “The political ecology of dietary transitions:
Changing production and consumption patterns in the Kolli Hills, India,”
Agriculture and Human Values, 2007Text in original papers