Heliyon is publishing an Editorial Expression of Concern regarding the following article “Evaluation of hematological indices among insecticides factory workers” by Nejatifar et al., which was first received on 30 September 2021 and published on 11 March 2022 in Heliyon Volume 8, Issue 3, March 2022, article number 09040, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09040.
This journal was alerted by a reader to a highly similar publication published in April 2023 by the same group of authors: Clinical and Biochemical Characteristics of Male Workers in a Pesticide Production Factory in Guilan Province, Journal of Arak University of Medical Sciences, 26(1): 270–281, https://doi.org/10.32598/JAMS.25.2.6836.1. An investigation shows that some of the same or highly similar raw data and conclusions were included in both articles. It is also noted that Mohammad Abdollahi, who is listed as a second author in the Heliyon article, is not among the authors of the article published in the Journal of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Unfortunately, neither the authors nor the Journal of Arak University of Medical Sciences responded to our requests for comment.
Since the Heliyon article was submitted and published first, and we are unable to comment on misconduct or honest error without the authors' or other journal's input, this expression of concern serves to inform readers about the potential issues related to this article.