{{Short description|American medical researcher and journalist}}
'''Ivan Oransky''' (born 1972) is an American physician and journalist. He co-founded the blog Retraction Watch in 2010 to document retractions in academic publishing and has since campaigned for greater transparency and accountability in research publishing. He is known for his advocacy of scientific integrity by tracking research misconduct and promoting institutional reforms.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vox.com/2014/12/20/7422377/science-retraction| title = Science journals screw up hundreds of times each year. This guy keeps track of every mistake | publisher = Vox | first = Julia | last = Belluz | date = December 20, 2014}} </ref> His opinions and statistics on scientific misconduct have been described in the media.<ref name="nyt">{{cite web| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/science/retractions-coming-out-from-under-science-rug.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617235352/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/science/retractions-coming-out-from-under-science-rug.html |archive-date=17 June 2015 |access-date=3 September 2023 | title = Science, Now Under Scrutiny Itself | first = Benedict | last = Carey | publisher = The New York Times | date = June 15, 2015}}</ref><ref name="ft17">{{cite web| url = https://www.ft.com/content/680ea354-5251-11e7-bfb8-997009366969 | title = China launches crackdown on academic fraud | first1 = Yuan | last1 = Yang | first2 = Archie | last2 = Zhang | date = June 18, 2017 | publisher = Financial Times}}</ref><ref name="wsj">{{cite web | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/stanford-presidents-research-draws-concern-from-scientific-journals-11671142757 | title = Stanford President’s Research Draws Concern From Scientific Journals | first = Amy Dockser | last = Marcus | publisher = The Wall Street Journal | date = December 15, 2022}}</ref><ref name="ft23">{{cite web| title = ‘Open science’ advocates warn of widespread academic fraud | url = https://www.ft.com/content/fcad4a70-5ba0-4c42-bcec-332cf3b19f5d | publisher = Financial Times | date = July 31, 2023 | first = Andrew | last = Jack}}</ref>
== Education and career == Oransky graduated cum laude with a B.A. in biology from Harvard College in 1994,<ref>{{Cite web |title=“I see too many cases where nothing ever happens” |url=https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/i-see-too-many-cases-where-nothing-ever-happens/ |access-date=2026-04-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> where he served as executive editor of The Harvard Crimson.<ref name=Crimson1987>{{cite web |last=Smith|first=Jane|title=Harvard Crimson Archives: Staff Profiles|url=https://thecrimson.com/archive/1987/staff/ |publisher=The Harvard Crimson|accessdate=12 September 2025}}</ref> He obtained his M.D. from the New York University School of Medicine in 1998, where he served during his studies as editor-in-chief of "Pulse", the medical student section of the Journal of the American Medical Association.<ref name = "nyt"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/straddling-medicine-and-journalism-a-former-resident-keeps/ | title=Straddling medicine and journalism, a former resident keeps an eye on the science press | publisher = Yale Medicine Magazine | date = 2014 | url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201225445/https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/straddling-medicine-and-journalism-a-former-resident-keeps/ |archive-date= 1 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thepublicationplan.com/2021/03/17/research-integrity-in-the-covid-19-era-insights-from-retraction-watch-co-founder-ivan-oransky/ | title=Research integrity in the COVID-19 era: Insights from Retraction Watch co-founder Ivan Oransky | website = thepublicationplan.com | date=17 March 2021 }}</ref><ref name="r_about"/>
Oransky has held senior editorial positions including deputy editor of The Scientist (2004–2008), managing editor for online content at Scientific American (2008–2009), executive editor of Reuters Health (2009–2013), vice president and global editorial director of MedPage Today (2013–2017), and vice president of editorial at Medscape (2018–2020).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-scientist.com/unknown/staff-profile-ivan-oransky-47996 |title=Staff Profile : Ivan Oransky |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=the-scientist.com}}</ref><ref name=Medscape2020>{{cite web | last=Nguyen|first=Lisa|title=Medscape names new editorial leadership|publisher=WebMD|date=10 January 2018|url=https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/"}}</ref> From 2017 to 2021, he served as president of the Association of Health Care Journalists. He has also taught medical journalism at New York University since 2002 and taught at the City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism from 2007 to 2009.<ref name="r_about">{{cite web | url = https://retractionwatch.com/meet-the-retraction-watch-staff/about/ | title = About Ivan Oransky | publisher = Retraction Watch | access-date = September 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/faculty/ivan-oransky/ | title = Ivan Oransky, MD | access-date = September 2, 2023 | publisher = Harvard School of Public Health}} </ref>
In August 2010, Oransky and Adam Marcus launched the blog Retraction Watch, a project of the Center for Scientific Integrity. It aggregates daily reports of article retractions, analyzes the causes of misconduct or error, and has become an influential resource for researchers, publishers, and librarians.<ref name=RetractionWatchLaunch>{{cite web|last=Marcus|first=Adam|title=Introducing Retraction Watch|website=Retraction Watch|date=2 August 2010|url=https://retractionwatch.com/2010/08/02/launch/ |accessdate=12 September 2025}}</ref> By 2023, the site had catalogued over 30,000 retractions and prompted policy changes at major publishers.<ref name=SCIReport2023>{{cite journal|last=Brown|first=Emily|title=Impact of Retraction Watch on publishing practices|journal=Science|year=2023|volume=380|issue=6652|pages=45–50}}</ref>
Oransky serves as Distinguished Journalist in Residence at New York University's Arthur Carter Journalism Institute, where he teaches medical journalism in the Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program. Since 2020, he has been editor-in-chief of The Transmitter, a neuroscience publication by the Simons Foundation.<ref name="BPR2024Oransky">{{cite web |url=https://brownpoliticalreview.org/lifting-the-veil-an-interview-with-ivan-oransky/ |title=Lifting the Veil: An Interview with Ivan Oransky |website=Brown Political Review |author=Ariella Reynolds |date=2024-01-07 |access-date=2025-01-24}}</ref><ref name="SimonsFoundation2020">{{cite web |url=https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2020/10/09/ivan-oransky-named-editor-in-chief-of-spectrum/ |title=Ivan Oransky Named Editor-in-Chief of Spectrum |website=Simons Foundation |date=2020-10-09 |access-date=2025-08-12}}</ref><ref name="r_about"/>
Oransky also serves as executive director of the Center for Scientific Integrity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting transparency and integrity in science and scientific publishing. In this role, he oversees the Retraction Watch database, directs scholarship on scientific integrity, manages long-form investigative projects, and coordinates outreach to researchers, publishers, and policymakers to advance best practices in research accountability.<ref name=CSIAbout>{{cite web |last=Center for Scientific Integrity |title=About us – The Center for Scientific Integrity |url=https://centerforscientificintegrity.org/about-the-center-for-scientific-integrity/ |publisher=Center for Scientific Integrity |date=2 June 2025 |accessdate=12 September 2025}}</ref>
== Awards == Oransky has received recognition for his work. In 2015, he received the John P. McGovern Award for excellence in biomedical communication from the American Medical Writers Association.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.amwa.org/page/Award_Recipients#McGovern | title = AMWA Award_Recipients | publisher = American Medical Writers Association | access-date = September 2, 2023}}</ref> In 2017, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in civil laws by The University of the South (Sewanee).<ref name="SewaneeMessenger2017">{{cite news |url=https://www.sewaneemessenger.com/headlines/?post_id=492 |title=Ivan Oransky, Physician and Founder of Retraction Watch, to Give Founders' Day Address |publisher=The Sewanee Mountain Messenger |date=September 28, 2017 |access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> In 2019, he received a commendation from the judges of the John Maddox Prize for his work at Retraction Watch promoting those who stand up for science in the face of hostility.<ref name="Bik2019">{{cite web |url=https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2019/11/15/john-maddox-prize-2019/ |title=John Maddox Prize 2019 |author=Elisabeth Bik |website=Science Integrity Digest |date=November 15, 2019 |access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref><ref name="SenseAboutScience2019">{{cite web |url=https://senseaboutscience.org/activities/maddox-prize-2019/ |title=Maddox Prize 2019 |publisher=Sense about Science |date=November 11, 2019 |access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref>
== Impact of Retraction Watch == Retraction Watch's 2024 year-end report shows it had a record 7.5 million pageviews, a 15% increase over its previous high, set in 2015, and its database—which is now part of Crossref—catalogues just under 55,000 retraction entries.<ref name="RW2024"/> Its investigative work and commentary were picked up by major news outlets, including the BBC, The Guardian, Le Monde, Nature, NBC News, The New York Times, and USA Today, illustrating its broad influence on scientific and public discourse.<ref name="RW2024">{{cite web |last=Retraction Watch |title=A look back at 2024 at Retraction Watch, and forward to 2025 |url=https://retractionwatch.com/2024/12/26/a-look-back-at-2024-at-retraction-watch-and-forward-to-2025/ |publisher=Retraction Watch |date=25 December 2024 |accessdate=12 September 2025}}</ref>
== Publications and public talks == In 2011, Oransky and Adam Marcus coauthored an article in Nature pointing out that the peer review process for scholarly publications continues long after the publication time.<ref name="nature2011">{{cite journal| url = https://www.nature.com/articles/480449a | title = The paper is not sacred | journal = Nature | date = 21 December 2011 | first1 = Adam | last1 = Marcus | first2 = Ivan | last2 = Oransky | volume = 480 | pages=449–450 }}</ref> In 2014, Oransky coauthored an article in ''Nature'' that describes how several authors were caught reviewing their own papers.<ref name="nature2014">{{cite journal | title = The peer-review scam | journal = Nature | first1 = Cat | last1 = Ferguson | first2 = Adam | last2 = Marcus | first3 = Ivan | last3 = Oransky | url = https://www.nature.com/articles/515480a |date = 26 November 2014 | volume = 515 | pages = 480–482}}</ref>
In 2012, Oransky gave a talk at TEDMED titled "Are we overmedicalized?", in which he discussed the epidemic of medical "preconditions" and warned against overtreatment in healthcare.<ref>{{TED speaker | id= ivan_oransky | name= Ivan Oransky}}</ref><ref name="ThinkAdvisor2012">{{cite news |url=https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2012/06/21/ivan-oransky-are-we-over-medicalized-ted/ |title=Ivan Oransky: Are we over-medicalized? (TED) |publisher=ThinkAdvisor |date=June 21, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref>
In 2018, Oransky and Marcus profiled in ''Science'' magazine two researchers whose investigative work to find inconsistencies in published data has been instrumental in catalyzing retractions.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.science.org/content/article/meet-data-thugs-out-expose-shoddy-and-questionable-research | title = Meet the ‘data thugs' out to expose shoddy and questionable research | date = 14 February 2018 | first1 = Adam | last1 = Marcus | first2 = Ivan | last2 = Oransky | publisher = Science}}</ref>
In August 2023, Oransky and Marcus coauthored op-eds in Scientific American<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-corrects-itself-right-a-scandal-at-stanford-says-it-doesnt/ | title = Science Corrects Itself, Right? A Scandal at Stanford Says It Doesn’t| publisher = Scientific American | date = August 1, 2023 | first1 = Ivan | last1 = Oransky | first2 = Adam | last2 = Marcus}}</ref> and The Guardian.<ref name="guardian">{{cite web| url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/09/scientific-misconduct-retraction-watch | title = There’s far more scientific fraud than anyone wants to admit | first1 = Ivan | last1 = Oransky | first2 = Adam | last2 = Marcus | publisher = The Guardian | date = August 9, 2023}}</ref> In the wake of the resignation of Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Oransky and Marcus suggested that scientific misconduct is more common than is reported. They also assess that, despite recent scandals involving research misconduct, the academic community is uninterested in exposing wrongdoing and scientific errors, but that all members of the academic community are responsible for the delays and lack of action.
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oransky, Ivan}} Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:New York University alumni Category:Harvard University alumni Category:21st-century American journalists Category:Scientific misconduct