In response to recent inquiries concerning a publication by Dr. Olivier Voinnet in The Plant Cell, the American Society of Plant Biologists and The Plant Cell release the following statement:
We confirm that one of three reviewers of the original submission of the Dunoyer et al. 2004
paper in The Plant Cell [“Probing the microRNA and small interfering RNA pathways with virus-encoded suppressors of RNA silencing” by Patrice Dunoyer, Charles-Henri Lecellier, Eneida
Abreu Parizotto, Christophe Himber, and Olivier Voinnet (Plant Cell 16: 1235-1250)] voiced
concerns about veracity in the manuscript. We are grateful for this reviewer’s diligence.
The then Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell followed up on the charges made concerning the declined manuscript. The corresponding author, Dr. Olivier Voinnet, provided a detailed response to the reviewer’s allegations which, at the time, satisfied both the Editor-in-Chief and the Co-Editor. A new manuscript was later submitted and accepted after peer review.
We note that no one representing The Plant Cell or its staff visited Dr. Voinnet’s laboratory in the context of this matter. We also note that release of confidential reviews is counter to our policies. No one representing the journal disclosed or discussed the reviews or the names of reviewers with the authors of the paper or with anyone else, outside of journal staff and editorial board members charged with handling the assessment of the manuscript. Dr. Voinnet contacted the journal editors on March 27, 2015, and requested a retraction of the above-mentioned Dunoyer et al. 2004 publication. The editors have requested further information from the authors in order to complete this request. For further information, please contact info@aspb.org
About The Plant Cell: Published monthly by ASPB, The Plant Cell (http://www.plantcell.org/)
is the highest- ranking primary research journal in plant biology. The Plant Cell publishes
novel research in plant biology, especially in the areas of cellular biology, molecular biology,
genetics, development, and evolution. The primary criteria for publication are that the article
provides new insight that is of broad interest to plant biologists, not only to specialists, and
that the presentation of results is appropriate for a wide audience.
About ASPB: ASPB is a professional scientific society, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland,
devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences worldwide. With a membership of almost
5000 plant scientists from throughout the United States and more than 50 other nations, the
The society publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals: The Plant Cell and
Plant Physiology. For more information about ASPB, please visit http://www.aspb.org/. Also
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