Journal flags data discrepancies in 2012 Egyptian cesarean study

Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics has issued an Editorial Expression of Concern regarding a 2012 article titled “Obstetricians’ perspective towards cesarean section delivery based on professional level: experience from Egypt.” The original research was published on 23 March 2012 in Volume 286, pages 317–323. The current notice, published on 6 August 2026, is Volume 313, article number 245. The Editor-in-Chief raised the concern due to specific issues with the data reported in the original study.

The primary issue identified involves discrepancies in the numbers and percentages presented in Tables 2, 3, and 4 of the original article. The editorial note states that these inconsistencies were the basis for the expression of concern.

The authors of the original study were contacted regarding these concerns. The response from the authorship group was mixed. Mohamed M. Shaaban, one of the listed authors, explicitly disagreed with the Expression of Concern. In contrast, Waleed S. Ahmed, Zeinab Khadr, and Hesham F. El-Sayed did not respond to the correspondence from the Editor regarding the issue.

Because the authors did not provide an adequate response or submit their raw data to verify the tables, the journal advises readers to interpret the results and conclusions of the 2012 article with caution. The original study focused on the perspectives of obstetricians in Egypt toward cesarean section delivery, categorized by professional level.

The original article is identified by the DOI 10.1007/s00404-012-2277-7. Readers relying on the statistical data from Tables 2, 3, and 4 of the 2012 paper should be aware of these unresolved discrepancies.

Subject of Research: Editorial Expression of Concern regarding data discrepancies in a 2012 study on obstetricians' perspectives toward cesarean section delivery in Egypt.

Article Title: Editorial Expression of Concern: Obstetricians’ perspective towards cesarean section delivery based on professional level: experience from Egypt

Article References: Shaaban, M. M., Sayed Ahmed, W. A., Khadr, Z., & El-Sayed, H. F. (2026). Editorial Expression of Concern: Obstetricians’ perspective towards cesarean section delivery based on professional level: experience from Egypt. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 313(1), Article 245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-026-08548-3

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DOI: 10.1007/s00404-026-08548-3

Keywords: Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Editorial Expression of Concern, Cesarean section delivery, Obstetricians, Egypt, Data discrepancies, Scientific integrity, Post-publication review, Mohamed M. Shaaban, Waleed S. Ahmed, Zeinab Khadr, Hesham F. El-Sayed, Table data verification, 2012 study, 2026 publication, Open access, DOI 10.1007/s00404-012-2277-7, DOI 10.1007/s00404-026-08548-3, Professional level, Reader caution