Table 2 Reducing the Inadvertent Spread of Retracted Science (RISRS) Recommendations
From: Reducing the Inadvertent Spread of Retracted Science: recommendations from the RISRS report
Publishers/Journals | Standards organizations | Researchers | Other stakeholders | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Develop a systematic cross-industry approach to ensure the public availability of consistent, standardized, interoperable, and timely information about retractions | (1) Adopt standards for citation of retracted papers, and for labeling retracted papers, (2) use software solutions, (3) invest in metadata quality | Develop standards for (1) retraction labeling in databases and publisher websites, (2) best practices for availability of retraction information in databases | Use citation software to flag retractions | Citation software developers: develop flags for retracted papers |
Recommend a taxonomy of retraction categories/classifications and corresponding retraction metadata that can be adopted by all stakeholders | Adopt, and participate in developing, a retraction taxonomy | Develop and maintain retraction taxonomy | Become aware of taxonomy and pay attention to classifications of articles being cited | Working group composed of a variety of stakeholders: develop retraction taxonomy |
Develop best practices for coordinating the retraction process to enable timely, fair, and unbiased outcomes | Reserve the right to retract in legal agreements; provide clear instructions for inquiries/concerns | Clarify best practices | Follow CLUE report recommendations | Funders, research institutions: follow CLUE report recommendations; Research integrity organizations: clarify best practices |
Educate stakeholders about pre- and post-publication stewardship, including retraction and correction of the scholarly record | Develop education aimed at multiple groups; build awareness of existing resources | Develop best practices for emerging concerns such as preprints; support authors in identifying authoritative sources for checking citations | Evaluate and assess references; clearly indicate if cited work is retracted; notify publisher if cited work in evidence synthesis is retracted; notify publisher, institution, and coauthors of issues with a published article | Scholarly societies, government agencies, and local institutional programming: develop education aimed at multiple groups |