Correcting the scientific record: Dealing with retractions
Honesty and integrity are at the core of scientific research. Considering the potential impact of their work on the society, scientists have a moral obligation to conduct research ethically.
In a day and age when scientific integrity is already being questioned, we saw a needless record being smashed in 2023—that of the number of articles getting retracted from scientific journals. Retraction of scientific articles refers to the removal of published articles that contain significant mistakes. It aims to correct scholarly literature and inform readers about the article’s mistakes. The number of retracted research papers rose sharply last year, with more than 10,000 articles being retracted.
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Reasons for retraction
There are two main reasons behind a paper’s retraction, and they differ on a fundamental level. Honest and ethical researchers may discover genuine mistakes in their paper’s methods, data, or conclusions and may decide to self-retract.
On the other hand, someone other than the researcher may discover that the research was erroneous or fraudulent in some way. In this case, the editorial board of a publication may retract the article. Often, this type of retraction is due to fraudulent data, plagiarism, incorrect authorship, or any general misconduct and failure to uphold the professional code of research and publication ethics.
Impact of retraction at a professional and personal level
Retractions can have negative effects on all the stakeholders involved in the study—the researchers, their parent institutes, and the journal. However, naturally, the researchers tend to be the most affected by a retraction.
Usually, the academic world tends to be forgiving if the reason for retraction is an honest mistake and the retraction is initiated by the authors themselves. This may not severely affect the researcher’s reputation and eligibility for future grants, especially if they address and fix the mistake. Self-retractions show that a researcher can critically examine their own work and is open to learning from their mistakes. It demonstrates the researcher’s integrity.
However, a paper being retracted due to fraudulent practices or academic misconduct is a graver situation. In this case, more often than not, the scientific community is not as forgiving. A researcher whose paper has been retracted due to misconduct is treated more sternly in the field. This can affect their reputation and credibility at both professional and personal levels. This can potentially influence their future employment and funding.
In both cases of retractions, authors who have had their papers retracted see a 10–20% decrease in citations. The scientific community also treads cautiously about accepting study findings from research groups whose papers have been retracted. This may result in harming existing or potential collaborations. Journals may avoid publishing articles by authors whose papers have been retracted on previous occasions.
Navigating corrections and concerns
Authors should be able to stand by their study and take full responsibility for its reported contents. If you find an honest mistake after the article is published, it is the responsibility of you and your co-authors to notify your institution and the journal, and to issue a correction. If you discover evidence of any form of research misconduct by a co-author, you are expected to report the same to the journal as well as your institution promptly. This will do less harm than another researcher, research group, or media outlet exposing the flaws.
From the point of view of journals, issuing a retraction is the last resort. Journals thoroughly investigate any claims of incorrect data before retracting articles. If there is sufficient but inconclusive evidence that brings a research paper’s accuracy into question, journals might express their concerns to you. In this case, you are expected to work with the journal editors to address these issues. Doing this promptly can prevent the case from snowballing into a retraction, if the authenticity and integrity of the data and interpretations remain uncompromised.
Dealing with retractions
As per the retraction guidelines issued by the Committee of Publication Ethics, the purpose of retraction is not to punish the authors—it is to protect the integrity of scientific literature. This is an important thing for you to keep in mind while dealing with a paper being retracted. Self-retracting papers is a good thing rather than a sign of outright fraud.
In case a journal wants to retract your article, it is best to agree for the retraction after receiving a formal notice of the same. You are expected to inform all co-authors about the reason for retraction. It is best to disclose the details of this retraction in future grant applications.
Managing impact on reputation and moving forward with resilience and strength
Retracting an article, especially when it is due to an honest mistake, can be emotionally difficult. Most journals have frameworks put in place to guide you through this process.
Even after having faced a retraction, especially due to an honest mistake, it is important to keep pursuing good science and aim to publish good-quality work. Your efforts and quality of work are evident and may help you overcome any negative impact of past retractions due to honest errors.
Support systems
Some people who can help you through retractions are your colleagues and collaborators. They know you and your work the best and can offer you support and help to deal with this difficult situation.
You can also lean on the institution and its legal team for any support in case of honest mistakes.
Conclusion
Although the purpose of retractions is to protect scientific integrity, they have a stigma associated with them, due to a major chunk of retractions happening because of scientific misconduct. This affects researchers whose work has been retracted due to honest mistakes. If this has unfortunately happened to you, the way forward is to acknowledge, address, and fix the mistake, indicating that you are open to learning. Importantly, you should keep doing quality work that speaks for your integrity and credibility.
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