Ever wonder what would happen if you skipped a step while doing your research? Prominent German anesthesiologist Joachim Boldt is facing just that problem, as he is being investigated for conducting research without first getting permission from the Institutional Review Board , says Pharmalot's Ed Silverman. Several journals are conducting further reviews as they contemplate whether to retract nearly 100 studies, Silverman says. One article, published in December 2009 in Anesthesia & Analgesia, was retracted in October 2010 after no evidence was found of any patient or lab data to suggest that the study was even performed, he adds. Steve Shafer, the editor of Anesthesia & Analgesia, called the situation "unglaublich" — German for "unbelievable" — and says the situation calls for a review of the rules of oversight of investigator-initiated trials, both in Germany and in other countries as well.