25 papers of a Chennai-based researcher retracted for image duplication, manipulation

At least 25 papers of a Chennai-based researcher have been retracted in recent months. It will not be surprising if more papers of Joseph Raj Xavier of Saveetha University are retracted in the coming weeks and months as many papers listed on PubPeer have serious integrity issues

At least 25 papers of a Chennai-based researcher Joseph Raj Xavier, who is currently Professor in the Department of Sustainable Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, have been retracted in recent months. Retracted papers also include those which were published when he was at Anna University, Chennai and Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai.

It will not be surprising if more papers of Dr. Xavier are retracted in the coming weeks and months as many papers listed on PubPeer have serious integrity issues. PubPeer is a website that allows researchers to publish post-publication reviews.

Almost all retractions have been for image duplication and/or manipulation. Retractions due to image duplication and/or manipulation come after a spate of papers from different institutions, particularly some CSIR labs, across India were retracted for the same reason before the pandemic began.

The duplications and manipulations are mostly related to but not restricted to SEM and EDX images. In addition to duplicated images appearing in the same paper, the images, many of which are also manipulated, appear in several papers representing different materials. On PubPeer.com, anonymous research integrity sleuths have pointed out how one image in a paper, which has now been retracted, has been used in eight papers, while another image has been used nine times. The same paper has another image (Fig 10g) containing a dozen image manipulations that have been highlighted by a sleuth with a remark: “Many apparently duplicated regions. I did not mark everything.” The retraction note mentions the same image (Fig 10g) and says: “Fig. 10g appears to have a number of repetitive patterns and features.”

 “While these articles indicate that the materials are different, the SEM/EDX images are identical and suggest that they have been fraudulently manipulated. Further concerns were identified in Figures 8b and 10a–d with regard to the presence of repetitive patterns and other anomalies. The author was unable to address the identified discrepancies satisfactorily,” reads a retraction notice. Dr. Xavier is the only author of this paper. A handful of single-author papers by Dr. Xavier has been retracted for image duplication and/or manipulation.

According to research integrity sleuths, an image with manipulated image has been reused in seven other papers, while another image has been reused in 13 papers. Noise, by virtue of being random, has to necessarily be unique to each image. However, many of the retracted papers have images with similar noise pattern. “XRD data appear to have highly similar noise patterns,” says a retraction note to a paper published in 2021. Many of the retraction notices say that the authors have been unable to provide the underlying raw data upon request.

‘No intention to mislead’

“The accusations regarding image duplication and manipulation have caused me great distress, and I assure you that to the best of my knowledge, there was no intention of any unethical practice. I have always tried to uphold the values of research integrity, and I am taking corrective steps.” Dr. Xavier says in an email. “I did not agree with the retractions. I had submitted the original source files and detailed explanations to the respective editorial offices. Unfortunately… I could not respond immediately. Despite the delay, I made sure to reply to all communications with complete documentation and explanations.”

He claims that the instruments necessary to carry out his research were not available at his institution and hence had to rely on external sources to carry out the studies. “Our university does not possess in-house facilities for high-end characterizations like SEM and EDX. As such, we prepared the samples ourselves and sent them to various external institutions for analysis, paying out-of-pocket for these services. These institutions would perform the characterisation and send us the results, which we then used for publication. As we were not directly overseeing the characterisation process, we were reliant on the professionalism and consistency of the external labs.”

Reasons for image duplications

He further adds: “This process, while necessary, introduced certain challenges such as variability between instruments and operators can result in minor inconsistencies, delays and miscommunication with external labs may occasionally lead to repeated or similar data, and batch analysis often required us to submit multiple related samples simultaneously, sometimes leading to visual similarities in output due to comparable surface morphology.”

Regarding image duplication, he says: “Due to limited SEM access and time constraints, images were often captured in closely timed sessions, which may have resulted in visual overlaps. Some baseline or reference images were reused in comparative contexts to demonstrate reproducibility and consistency, not with any intent to mislead. We understand that such similarities may raise questions, and we regret any confusion this may have caused. However, I want to firmly assert that the research was conducted with integrity, and any perceived duplication was unintentional and arose from practical constraints, not malfeasance.”

List of retracted papers

1. Electrochemical Adsorption Properties and Inhibition of Brass Corrosion in Natural Seawater by Thiadiazole Derivatives: Experimental and Theoretical Investigation (Applied Chemistry)
2. Synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole/graphitic carbon nitride/niobium pentoxide nanocomposite for high-performance energy storage applications (Journal of Applied Polymer Science)
3. Studies on improved stability and electrochemical activity of metal oxides/sulfides-based polymer nanocomposites for energy storage applications (Polymer Engineering and Science)
4. Electrochemical and Mechanical Investigation of Newly Synthesized NiO-ZrO2 Nanoparticle–Grafted Polyurethane Nanocomposite Coating on Mild Steel in Chloride Media (Applied Chemistry)
5. Effect of Silane-Functionalized RuO₂ Nanoparticles on the Anticorrosive and Mechanical Properties of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) Coatings (Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A)
6. Innovative Nanocomposite Coating for Aluminum Alloy in the Aircraft Manufacturing Industry with Increased Mechanical Strength, Flame Retardancy, and Corrosion Resistance (ChemistrySelect)
7. Improvement in Corrosion Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Coatings on Steel with the Addition of Thiadiazole Treated ZrC (Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance)
8. Electrochemical and Mechanical Investigation of Newly Synthesized NiO-ZrO2 Nanoparticle–Grafted Polyurethane Nanocomposite Coating on Mild Steel in Chloride Media (Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance)
9. Effects of incorporation of nanotitania in magnesium phosphate cement for the protection of carbon steel in harsh environments (Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering)
10. Graphene Oxide/Metal Sulfide and Oxide Nanocomposite Electrodes for High Electrochemical Performance Supercapacitor Applications (Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance)
11. Evaluation of reduced graphene oxide/WO3/WS2 hybrids for high performance supercapacitor electrode (Journal of Alloys and Compounds)
12. A study on the effect of multifunctional tantalum carbide nanofillers incorporated graphene oxide structure in the epoxy resin for the applications in the shipbuilding industry (Materials Science and Engineering: B)
13. Electrochemical, mechanical and adhesive properties of surface modified NiO-epoxy nanocomposite coatings on mild steel (Materials Science and Engineering: B)
14. Superior barrier, hydrophobic and mechanical properties of multifunctional nanocomposite coatings on brass in marine environment (Materials Science and Engineering: B)
15. Effects of carbon nanotubes-based composites on the corrosion protection and mechanical properties of polymer coating in chloride environment (Materials Science and Engineering: B)
16. Mechanical and corrosion protection properties of polymer–clay nanocomposite coatings for mild steel in marine environment (Emergent Materials)
17. Flame Retardant and Anticorrosion Behavior of Multifunctional Epoxy Nanocomposite Coatings Containing Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Silanized HfO2 Nanofillers for the Protection of Steel Surface in Automobile Industry (ACS Chemical Health & Safety
18. Effects of Incorporating Silanized Nanoclay on the Barrier, Hydrophobic and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Resin in Chloride Environment (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research; Saveetha)
19. Investigation on the effect of nano-ceria on the epoxy coatings for corrosion protection of mild steel in natural seawater (Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials)
20. Synergistic effect of polybenzoxazine/ZrO2 encapsulated polyurethane nanocomposite coatings for enhanced barrier properties of steel in seawater (Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials)
21. Multilayer Functional Polyurethane Nanocomposite Coating Containing Graphene Oxide and Silanized Zirconium Nitride for the Protection of Aluminum Alloy Structures in Aerospace Industries (Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance)
22. Effect of reinforcement of mixed metal oxide nanoparticles in polyurethane resin for barrier and dynamic mechanical properties of steel structures (Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials)
23. Facile Synthesis of Graphitic Carbon Nitride@Polypyrrole/Ta2O5 Nanocomposite as Supercapacitor with Improved Electrochemical Performance for Energy Storage Applications (Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance)
24. Dynamic Mechanical and Electrochemical Analysis of Newly Synthesized Polyurethane/CuO–NiO Mixed Metal Oxide Nanocomposite Coated Steel in 3.5% NaCl Solution (Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces) 
25. Electrochemical and Mechanical Investigation of Newly Synthesized NiO-ZrO2 Nanoparticle–Grafted Polyurethane Nanocomposite Coating on Mild Steel in Chloride Media (Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance)