Table 1 Current retraction standards from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) [1] and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) [2]
From: Reducing the Inadvertent Spread of Retracted Science: recommendations from the RISRS report
COPE | ICMJE | |
|---|---|---|
Reasons for retraction | • Unreliable findings • Plagiarism • Redundant publication • Lack of authorization to publish content • Legal issues • Unethical research • Published due to compromised peer review • Conflict of interest | • “Errors serious enough to invalidate a paper’s results and conclusions” ◦ Honest error ◦ Scientific misconduct • Duplicate publication |
Retraction notice guidelines | • Link to retracted article • Clearly identify the article being retracted • Clearly identifiable as a retraction notice • Published promptly • Freely available • State who is retracting the article • State reason for retraction • Be objective and factual • Editors should negotiate with authors on wording | • Link to retracted article • Clearly identifiable as a retraction notice • Included in Table of Contents • Identify retracted article in heading • Include citation to retracted article • Authors of retraction notices should be authors of retracted paper when possible • State reason for retraction |
Retraction process | • Editors should follow COPE Guidelines: Cooperation between research institutions and journals on research integrity cases [3] and CLUE guidelines [4] • Authors’ institutions should be notified of misconduct • Decision to retract ultimately falls to journals • If evidence of unreliability is inconclusive, retraction is usually not called for, but an expression of concern may be published • Retractions should not be issued solely because of authorship disputes | • Follow COPE guidelines when misconduct is alleged • Retract if misconduct is proven; if inconclusive, letters to the editor may be published to show areas of debate • Previous works of the author of a retracted paper should not be presumed invalid, but expressions of concern may be published |
Citing retracted papers | Not covered by COPE Retraction Guidelines | • References should be checked using an electronic bibliographic source, or an original print source • Authors should be sure not to cite retracted papers without acknowledging the retraction • PubMed is an authoritative source for retraction information |