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- The retraction rate for biomedical science papers with corresponding authors based at European institutions quadrupled between 2000 and 2020.<\/li>\n
- Unreliable data has emerged as a leading reason for retraction, while duplication remains a key factor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nResearch misconduct remains a major concern, with increasing efforts<\/a> dedicated to monitoring retraction rates \u2013 and the underlying reasons. An analysis recently published in Scientometrics<\/em><\/a> and discussed in Nature <\/em>news<\/a> uncovered a quadrupling of retraction rates since 2000 among biomedical science articles with corresponding authors based at European institutions, from about 11 per 100,000 articles to almost 45 per 100,000 in 2020.<\/p>\n
Why are articles retracted?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Fabi\u00e1n Freijedo-Farinas and colleagues reviewed over 2,000 retracted English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-language articles collated by Retraction Watch<\/a> to identify underlying reasons. Research misconduct was the most prevalent factor, accounting for 67% of cases, while 16% of retractions were due to honest errors<\/a> (with no reason provided for the remainder). Research misconduct-related retractions were due to:<\/p>\n
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- unreliable data<\/li>\n
- unreliable results<\/li>\n
- falsification\/fabrication<\/a><\/li>\n
- duplication<\/li>\n
- plagiarism<\/li>\n
- authorship<\/a> and\/or affiliation issues<\/li>\n
- ethical and legal issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Reasons have shifted over time, with authorship and affiliation issues falling from one of the top reasons to joint 5th of 7. Duplication has remained steady as a cause, while retractions due to unreliable data \u2013 including bias and lack of original data availability \u2013 have skyrocketed. The authors suggest paper mills<\/a> have a major role to play.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s not the same story across Europe: of the 4 countries with the most retractions, the proportion of duplication-related retractions has fallen in the UK but substantially increased in Italy and Spain.<\/p>\n
Why are retraction rates increasing?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Arturo Casadevall, who identified similar rates of research misconduct-related retractions in a 2012 analysis<\/a>, commented<\/a> that the overall hike in retraction rates could be due to authors, institutions, and journals increasingly viewing retraction as the best route to correct the scientific record.<\/p>\n
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The overall hike in retraction rates could be due to authors, institutions, and journals increasingly viewing retraction as the best route to correct the scientific record.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In addition, publications have increasingly drawn the attention of online sleuths<\/a>, who may raise concerns with journals, according to research integrity specialist Sholto David<\/a>. New digital technologies are also making it easier to screen publications for suspicious text or data. Retraction Watch co-founder Ivan Oranksy<\/a> believes use of plagiarism-detection software could be partially responsible for the increase; looking to the future, tools like image manipulation detectors<\/a> could mean retraction rates rise further.<\/p>\n
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