What is it about?
Sorry dear readers! But the details on the software settings of a fundamental paper of mine came out wrong. What's worse: took me five intense years of *using* the same settings in equipments *everywhere* to realise the published mistake! Actually, it is even worse: I realised the problem while complaining about a colleague (not telling who this might be) who published nonsensical GC-MS settings I could not replicate to repeat his results with some weaver ant chemical analysis. So yeah, in pointing a finger I have decided to re-evaluate myself where I found the exact same flaw. Embarrassing, to say the least. But I got it corrected, and in fact redescribed in two subsequent papers.
Featured Image
Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash
Why is it important?
My GC-MS analysis protocol is fundamental to anyone trying to follow my steps in ant chemical ecology, thus it needs to be clear and correct. As a development of this paper and self-assessment I have henceforth adopted the practice of making raw chromatograms publicly files available with my further published research on chemical ecology. Why? Because I find it frustrating that none of my peers have done that (go ahead and read their papers) so today I cannot look into the details of their obtained results. Science flows so much quicker and smoother when transparent methods and data are available.
Perspectives
I hope this trivial correction sets an example to other readers who come across this page. Please, revisit your past publications and search for important mistakes. Should you find any, make it correct in public. Thanks for reading!
Dr Eduardo G P Fox
IBCCF / UFRJ
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Corrigendum to “Intraspecific and Intracolonial Variation in the Profile of Venom Alkaloids and Cuticular Hydrocarbons of the Fire Ant Solenopsis saevissima Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)”, Psyche A Journal of Entomology, January 2016, Hindawi Publishing Corporation,
DOI: 10.1155/2016/1013859.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Main manuscript being corrected
This is the original publication containing the method erroneously described. You will see that the mistake looks minor, however would stop someone else from replicating my results exactly.
An example of the method applied, with transparent files.
An example of application of the method (related with subsequent work) containing original raw chromatograms and GC-MS method files. This is an example of my novel standards in publishing chemical ecology results!
Post-publication Discussion on the Corrected Paper
This is the pubpeer entry where I first announced the correction. As a side curiosity, readers here may follow a short discussion with one of my peers , who has personal feelings about this paper (or about someone other than he having published it).
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
