Elisabeth Bik Explained

Elisabeth Bik
Birth Name:Elisabeth Margaretha Bik
Birth Place:Netherlands
Alma Mater:Utrecht University (MSc, PhD)
Thesis Title:Cholera: vaccine development and evolution of epidemic Vibrio cholerae strains
Thesis Url:https://utrechtuniversity.on.worldcat.org/v2/oclc/69010637
Thesis Year:1996
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Elisabeth Margaretha Harbers-Bik (born 1966) is a Dutch microbiologist and scientific integrity consultant.[1] Bik is known for her work detecting photo manipulation in scientific publications,[2] [3] and identifying over 4,000 potential cases of improper research conduct.[4] Bik is the founder of Microbiome Digest,[5] a blog with daily updates on microbiome research, and the Science Integrity Digest blog.[6] [7]

Bik was awarded the 2021 John Maddox Prize for "outstanding work exposing widespread threats to research integrity in scientific papers".[8]

Early life and education

Bik was born in the Netherlands. Since childhood, she had a good ability to spot repeating patterns.[9] She studied at the Utrecht University, where she obtained her MSc degree and subsequently a PhD in 1996, both in microbiology. Her dissertation was about developing vaccines for new strains of Vibrio cholerae involved in cholera epidemics across India and Bangladesh.[10] [11] [12] [13] She conducted her doctorate and her postdoctoral studies at the molecular microbiology department in the National Institute of Health and the Environment in Bilthoven.[14]

Career

Public sector

After receiving her doctorate, Bik worked for the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, where she organized the development of new molecular techniques for identifying infectious agents.[15] [16]

Academia

In 2001, Bik moved to California to work at Stanford University in the laboratory of David Relman, where her work focused on human microbiomes, previously unidentified microbial species in them, and their diversity across individuals.[17] [18] Her work explored other mucosal microbiomes, confirming that the human oral microbiota contains distinct genera from the gut microbiota.[19]

While at Stanford, Bik worked on an Office of Naval Research project to study the microbiome of dolphins and sea lions in San Diego. She found that their microbiome was distinct from other mammals, and influenced by the sea they lived in.[20]

Private sector

In 2016, Bik left Stanford to work for uBiome, a biotech company involved in the sequencing of human microbiomes, before leaving the company in 2018 to work full-time on analyzing scientific papers for image duplication and other malpractices.

Science integrity

Bik started to focus on science integrity in 2013, when she discovered that one of her publications had been plagiarised.[21] One evening in January 2014, she found duplicated images with manipulations in papers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She decided to dedicate her free time to looking for questionable practices in scientific publications, and specialized in tracking down image manipulation in studies.

In 2014, she started the blog Microbiome Digest, where she provided easy-to-understand commentaries on recent scientific papers.[22] The blog soon became a success, and Bik enlisted help from her colleagues on Twitter to manage the content. She is also an active contributor to Retraction Watch[23] and PubPeer,[24] highlighting scientific papers that present falsified, duplicated, and questionable data, such as in western blot images.

Together with Arturo Casadevall and Ferric Fang, Bik published an mBio paper investigating the prevalence of these questionable practices within published scientific papers, where they found nearly 400 papers with intentional figure manipulation (i.e. about 800 duplicate images).[25] She estimates half of these were created with the intention to mislead. Bik is active on Twitter, where she posts potentially duplicated figures for her more than 114,000 followers to investigate. Her investigations have exposed significant levels of scientific misconduct in several journals. In 2018, Bik was featured on the pop science podcast "Everything Hertz."[26]

In 2019, Bik announced via Twitter that she was taking a year off paid work to investigate scientific misconduct,[27] [28] the subject on which she co-authored a preregistered test suggesting that "academic culture, peer control, cash-based publication incentives and national misconduct policies", but not pressure to publish, may affect scientific integrity, with nationality being a stronger predictor than individual attributes.[29] Her analysis of 960 recent papers published in Molecular and Cellular Biology found that 59 (6.1%) contained inappropriately duplicated images, from which 5 papers were subsequently retracted and 41 papers had corrections published, and led to a pilot image screening program at the journal identifying problems with 14.5% of subsequent submissions.[30]

In February 2020, Science reported that Bik had identified over 400 research papers published in China over the previous three years, apparently all originating from the same research paper mill company providing full service production of articles describing fake research for medical students on demand.[31] Bik said, "students in China need to have a paper published to get their MD, but they do not have time to do research, so that is an unrealistic goal."[32]

In March 2020, commenting on the publication of the results of a clinical trial by Didier Raoult on the effect of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19, she identified a conflict of interest and strongly criticized the methodology of the study.[33] [34] The owners of the journal that published the results admitted that the publication was not at the level expected by the society, in particular due to a lack of justification of the criteria for patient selection and triage.[35] They then rebutted allegations of a conflict of interest, stating that the peer review process prior to publication was respected because Jean-Marc Rolain, one of the co-authors of the article and editor of the journal, did not participate in the evaluation. The publisher Elsevier then announced an additional independent evaluation to determine whether the concerns about the article were well founded.[36]

On May 5, 2021, the French non profit association Citizen4Science, made up of scientists and citizens, published a press release in response to an announcement by Didier Raoult's lawyer that IHU Marseille was suing Bik. Citizen4Science linked a petition denouncing the harassment of scientists and defenders of science integrity, specifically mentioning Bik and calling on French authorities to intervene and journalists to look into the matter.[37] On May 8, 2021, Lonni Besançon, a French postdoctoral research fellow at Monash University, also wrote an open letter signed by scientists to support Bik.[38] The letter, also mentioned in The Guardian, Science, and Nature,[39] gathered signatures from more than 2,200 scientists and 30 scholarly societies.[40]

On May 22, 2021, The Guardian reported that Raoult had begun legal proceedings against Bik.[41] A Science article updated on June 4, 2021, in print issue 6546, stated that more than 3,000 signatories supported the Citizen4Science petition.[42]

In September 2021, Bik discovered repetitive elements in published images that indicated digital tampering by authors of a paper by the controversial Comet Research Group claiming the discovery of the Biblical Sodom, and evidence that it had been destroyed by a cosmic airburst.[43] The authors initially denied tampering with the photos but eventually published a correction in which they admitted to inappropriate image manipulation.[44] On February 15, 2023, the following editor’s note was posted on this paper, "Readers are alerted that concerns raised about the data presented and the conclusions of this article are being considered by the Editors. A further editorial response will follow the resolution of these issues".[45]

During a session of the 2022 European Hematology Association Congress, Bik presented information about artificial intelligence being used to fraudulently generate Western blot images.[46]

Awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Abbott. Alison. 2019-11-19. The science institutions hiring integrity inspectors to vet their papers. Nature. en. 575. 7783. 430–433. 10.1038/d41586-019-03529-w. 31745367. 2019Natur.575..430A. free.
  2. Shen . Helen . Meet this super-spotter of duplicated images in science papers . Nature . 13 May 2020 . 581 . 7807 . 132–136 . 10.1038/d41586-020-01363-z. 32405024 . 2020Natur.581..132S . free .
  3. Web site: The Fraud Finder: A conversation with Elisabeth Bik . Adee . Sally . The Last Word On Nothing . 12 February 2019 .
  4. Web site: 2021-04-07. The science detective on a mission to stamp out shoddy research. 2021-04-07. Times Higher Education (THE). en. registration.
  5. Web site: Microbiome Digest. MicrobiomeDigest.com. 2019-09-07.
  6. Web site: Science Integrity Digest . ScienceIntegrityDigest.com. 2019-11-24.
  7. Web site: Maddox Prize 2019 . senseaboutscience.org . Sense about Science . 11 November 2019.
  8. Web site: John Maddox Prize 2021 Winners Announcement . Sense About Science . December 2021. 1 December 2021 .
  9. News: Bik . Elisabeth . 2022-10-29 . Opinion Science Has a Nasty Photoshopping Problem . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-11-05 . 0362-4331.
  10. Book: Bik . Elisabeth M . Cholera: vaccine development and evolution of epidemic Vibrio cholerae strains . 1996 . Utrecht University . 90-90091-73-4 . Dissertation.
  11. Bik. Elisabeth M.. Mooi. Frits R.. 1997-04-01. The evolution of epidemic Vibrio cholerae strains. Trends in Microbiology. en. 5. 4. 161–165. 10.1016/S0966-842X(96)10086-X. 0966-842X. 9141191.
  12. Mooi. F. R.. Gouw. R. D.. Bunschoten. A. E.. Bik. E. M.. 1995-01-01. Genesis of the novel epidemic Vibrio cholerae O139 strain: evidence for horizontal transfer of genes involved in polysaccharide synthesis.. The EMBO Journal. 14. 2. 209–216. 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1995.tb06993.x. 7835331. 398072. 1460-2075. free.
  13. Web site: Eye for Manipulation: A Profile of Elisabeth Bik. The Scientist Magazine®. en. 2019-11-22.
  14. Web site: Bik . Elisabeth . Elisabeth Bik – Consultant – Harbers Bik LLC . www.linkedin.com . LinkedIn . 29 November 2019.
  15. Web site: Elisabeth Bik. 2016-04-28. Microbiome Digest - Bik's Picks. 2019-09-07.
  16. Web site: Profile - Elisabeth Bik. peerj.com. 2019-09-07.
  17. Relman. David A.. Nelson. Karen E.. Gill. Steven R.. Sargent. Michael. Dethlefsen. Les. Purdom. Elizabeth. Bernstein. Charles N.. Bik. Elisabeth M.. Eckburg. Paul B.. 2005-06-10. Diversity of the Human Intestinal Microbial Flora. Science. 308. 5728. 1635–1638. 10.1126/science.1110591. 0036-8075. 15831718. 1395357. 2005Sci...308.1635E.
  18. Relman. David A.. Blaser. Martin J.. Perez-Perez. Guillermo. Francois. Fritz. Purdom. Elizabeth A.. Nelson. Karen E.. Gill. Steven R.. Eckburg. Paul B.. Bik. Elisabeth M.. 2006-01-17. Molecular analysis of the bacterial microbiota in the human stomach. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103. 3. 732–737. 10.1073/pnas.0506655103. 0027-8424. 16407106. 1334644. 2006PNAS..103..732B. free.
  19. Relman. David A.. Fraser-Liggett. Claire M.. Gill. Steven R.. Nelson. Karen E.. Emmanuel F. Mongodin. Emerson. Joanne. Loomer. Peter. Armitage. Gary C.. Long. Clara Davis. August 2010. Bacterial diversity in the oral cavity of 10 healthy individuals. The ISME Journal. 4. 8. 962–974. 10.1038/ismej.2010.30. 20336157. 2941673. 1751-7370.
  20. Bik. Elisabeth M.. Costello. Elizabeth K.. Switzer. Alexandra D.. Callahan. Benjamin J.. Holmes. Susan P.. Wells. Randall S.. Carlin. Kevin P.. Jensen. Eric D.. Venn-Watson. Stephanie. Relman. David A.. 2016-02-03. Marine mammals harbor unique microbiotas shaped by and yet distinct from the sea. Nature Communications. en. 7. 1. 10516. 10.1038/ncomms10516. 26839246. 4742810. 2016NatCo...710516B. 2041-1723. free.
  21. Laurens . Clémentine . 2021-12-14 . Elisabeth Bik, gendarme de l'éthique scientifique . Elisabeth Bik, watchdog of science ethics . fr . Ouest-France . 23577 . last page . 2021-12-14.
  22. Web site: I have found about 2,000 problematic papers, says Dr. Elisabeth Bik. 2019-08-08. Editage Insights. en. 2019-11-22.
  23. Web site: Meet Elisabeth Bik, who finds problematic images in scientific papers for free. Oransky. Ivan. 2019-05-07. Retraction Watch. 2019-09-07.
  24. Web site: PubPeer - Search publications and join the conversation.. pubpeer.com. 2019-09-07.
  25. Fang. Ferric C.. Casadevall. Arturo. Bik. Elisabeth M.. 2016-07-06. The Prevalence of Inappropriate Image Duplication in Biomedical Research Publications. mBio. 7. 3. e00809–16. 10.1128/mBio.00809-16. 2150-7511. 27273827. 4941872.
  26. Web site: Everything Hertz - Elisabeth Bik. everythinghertz.com. 2019-09-07.
  27. MicrobiomDigest . Elisabeth Bik . 1121796872794820610 . April 26, 2019 . I am taking a year off from paid work to focus more on my science misconduct volunteer work. Science needs more help to detect image duplication, plagiarism, fabricated results, and predatory publishers..
  28. Web site: About the Participants. FotoFocus Cincinnati 2019. 13 July 2019 . 2019-11-22.
  29. Fanelli . Daniele . Costas . Rodrigo . Fang . Ferric C. . Casadevall . Arturo . Bik . Elisabeth M. . Testing Hypotheses on Risk Factors for Scientific Misconduct via Matched-Control Analysis of Papers Containing Problematic Image Duplications . Science and Engineering Ethics . 1 June 2019 . 25 . 3 . 771–789 . 10.1007/s11948-018-0023-7 . 29460082 . 6591179 . 1471-5546.
  30. Bik . Elisabeth M. . Fang . Ferric C. . Kullas . Amy L. . Davis . Roger J. . Casadevall . Arturo . Analysis and Correction of Inappropriate Image Duplication: the Molecular and Cellular Biology Experience . Molecular and Cellular Biology . 15 October 2018 . 38 . 20 . 10.1128/MCB.00309-18 . 30037982 . 6168979 . 0270-7306. free .
  31. Dalmeet Singh Chawla . A single paper mill appears to have churned out 400 papers, sleuths find . . 27 February 2020 . 10.1126/science.abb4930 . 213824536 .
  32. News: Basu . Mohana . Researchers flag over 400 'dubious papers' published in China in last 3 years . 27 February 2020 . ThePrint . 26 February 2020.
  33. Piller. Charles. 2020-04-23. 'This is insane!' Many scientists lament Trump's embrace of risky malaria drugs for coronavirus. Science. 2020-03-26.
  34. News: A Data Sleuth Challenged A Powerful COVID Scientist. Then He Came After Her. . Lee . Stephanie M. . BuzzFeed News . 18 October 2021 .
  35. Web site: Publisher Now Says Study Touting Hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 Cure Doesn't Meet Its 'Standard'. 2020-04-06. News Parliament. en-US. The ISAC Board believes the article does not meet the Society's expected standard, especially relating to the lack of better explanations of the inclusion criteria and the triage of patients to ensure patient safety. 2020-04-23. 2020-04-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20200420144040/http://newsparliament.com/. dead.
  36. Joint ISAC and Elsevier statement on Gautret et al. paper [PMID 32205204]]. International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 11 April 2020.
  37. Harassment of scientific spokespersons and defenders of scientific integrity: Citizen4Science calls on the authorities to intervene urgently. 5 May 2021. Citizen4Science. en.
  38. Book: Besançon . Lonni. Samuel . Alexander. Sana . Thibault. Rebeaud . Mathieu. Guihur . Anthony. Robinson-Rechavi . Marc. Berre . Nicolas Le. Mulot . Matthieu. Meyerowitz-Katz . Gideon. Maisonneuve. Nosek . Brian A. Open letter: Scientists stand up to protect academic whistleblowers and post-publication peer review. 18 May 2021. 10.31219/osf.io/2awsv. 243194323. 2021-05-22.
  39. Bry K, Andersson LC, Kuusi T, Kinnunen PK. Monoacylglycerol hydrolase in human platelets. . Biochim Biophys Acta . 1979 . 575 . 1 . 121–7 . 10.1016/0005-2760(79)90137-1. 41586 .
  40. Besançon . Lonni. Samuel . Alexander. Sana . Thibault. Rebeaud . Mathieu. Guihur . Anthony. Robinson-Rechavi . Marc. Berre . Nicolas Le. Mulot . Matthieu. Meyerowitz-Katz . Gideon. Maisonneuve. Nosek . Brian A. Supplementary materials of 'Open letter: Scientists stand up to protect academic whistleblowers and post-publication peer review' . Research Integrity and Peer Review. 8 May 2021. 8. 1. 9. 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZKX5H. 37533089. 10398994. 236542185.
  41. News: Davey. Melissa. 22 May 2021. World expert in scientific misconduct faces legal action for challenging integrity of hydroxychloroquine study. The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. 2021-05-22. 0261-3077.
  42. O'Grady. Cathleen. 2021-06-04. Image sleuth faces legal threats. Science. en. 372. 6546. 1021–1022. 10.1126/science.372.6546.1021. 0036-8075. 34083467. 2021Sci...372.1021O. 235334811.
  43. Boslough . Mark . Mark Boslough . vanc.
  44. James P. Kennett . Bunch . Ted E. . LeCompte . Malcolm A. . Adedeji . A. Victor . Wittke . James H. . Burleigh . T. David . Hermes . Robert E. . Mooney . Charles . Batchelor . Dale . Wolbach . Wendy S. . Kathan . Joel . Kletetschka . Gunther . Patterson . Mark C. L. . Swindel . Edward C. . Witwer . Timothy . Howard . George A. . Mitra . Siddhartha . Moore . Christopher R. . Langworthy . Kurt . Kennett . James P. . West . Allen . Silvia . Phillip J. . 8 . free.
  45. Web site: Journal investigating Sodom comet paper for data problems . Ellie . Kincaid . Retraction Watch . February 21, 2023 . February 27, 2023.
  46. Web site: Mattina . Christina . June 11, 2022 . AI Holds Potential to Support Ethical Principles in Hematology—but There's a Dark Side . https://web.archive.org/web/20220611151057/https://www.ajmc.com/view/ai-holds-potential-to-support-ethical-principles-in-hematology-but-there-s-a-dark-side . June 11, 2022 . July 10, 2022 . The American Journal of Managed Care.
  47. Web site: AIMOS Commendation Award Winners . Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-Research and Open Science . 20 September 2023.
  48. Web site: Prize lecture winners 2021 . The Microbiology Society . 26 November 2020.
  49. Web site: 2021-12-09. Dr Elisabeth Bik wins Skeptical Activism Ockham award. 2021-12-09. The Skeptic. en-GB.
  50. Web site: Balthazar . Deborah . 2024-02-28 . Q&A: The scientific integrity sleuth taking on the widespread problem of research misconduct . 2024-03-09 . STAT . en-US.

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