War of the pigeons
Oxford pigeon researcher Dr Tim Guilford remains in the news this week accused of dishonesty and poor scientific practice. Prof Hans-Peter Lipp, of the University of Zurich, has accused Dr Guilford of plagiarising his research into navigation by pigeons, and in particular their use of linear landmarks such as roads.
According to colleague Dr Mike Galsworthy, Prof Lipp had already presented these conclusions at numerous talks, including one last June, to Dr Guilford's group in Oxford. The Swiss findings were then submitted to the journal Nature, in October. Meanwhile, Dr Guilford, having conducted research with pigeon GPS data-loggers developed in the Swiss lab, released "uncannily similar conclusions" to the press.
Dr Galsworthy told The OxStu that this side-stepping of slower, peer-reviewed channels, such as scientific journals, was both "inappropriate for the sake of quality science," and further, "a ploy to beat [their] team to accreditation." He contends "Dr Guilford knew Prof Lipp's data and conclusions and never indicated that he had, or intended to collect, similar data."
In a statement to The OxStu, Oxford University said "whilst [Dr Guilford's] research uses technology developed and supplied by Prof Lipp and associated researchers," the findings are "entirely the result of work carried out by [him] and his team." Dr Guilford is reportedly shocked, never having "had to deal with such accusations from a former colleague." The University is currently in the process of reviewing the evidence provided by the Swiss team.
19th Feb 2004