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Shi A, Bier B, Price C, Schwartz L, Wainright D, Whithaus A, Abritis A, Oransky I, Angrist M. Taking it back: A pilot study of a rubric measuring retraction notice quality. Account Res 2024:1-12. [PMID: 38919031 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2024.2366281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
The frequency of scientific retractions has grown substantially in recent years. However, thus far there is no standardized retraction notice format to which journals and their publishers adhere voluntarily, let alone compulsorily. We developed a rubric specifying seven criteria in order to judge whether retraction notices are easily and freely accessible, informative, and transparent. We mined the Retraction Watch database and evaluated a total of 768 retraction notices from two publishers (Springer and Wiley) over three years (2010, 2015, and 2020). Per our rubric, both publishers tended to score higher on measures of openness/availability, accessibility, and clarity as to why a paper was retracted than they did in: acknowledging institutional investigations; confirming whether there was consensus among authors; and specifying which parts of any given paper warranted retraction. Springer retraction notices appeared to improve over time with respect to the rubric's seven criteria. We observed some discrepancies among raters, indicating the difficulty in developing a robust objective rubric for evaluating retraction notices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Shi
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Brooke Bier
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Carrigan Price
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Luke Schwartz
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Devan Wainright
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Audra Whithaus
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alison Abritis
- Retraction Watch/Center for Scientific Integrity, New York, NY, USA
- University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ivan Oransky
- Retraction Watch/Center for Scientific Integrity, New York, NY, USA
- Arthur Carter Journalism Institute, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- The Transmitter, Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
| | - Misha Angrist
- Duke University Initiative for Science & Society, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke University Social Science Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA
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Teixeira da Silva JA, Daly T. Against "silent" retractions in neuroscience. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2556-2562. [PMID: 38558202 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
When an academic paper is published in a journal that assigns a digital object identifier (DOI) to papers, this is a de facto fait accompli. Corrections or retractions are supposed to follow a specific protocol, especially in journals that claim to follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. In this paper, we highlight a case of a new, fully open access neuroscience journal that claims to be COPE-compliant, yet has silently retracted two papers since all records, bibliometrics, and PDF files related to their existence have been deleted from the journal's website. Although this phenomenon does not seem to be common in the neurosciences, we consider that any opaque corrective measures in journals whose papers could be cited may negatively impact the wider neuroscience literature and community. Instead, we encourage transparency in retraction to promote truthfulness and trustworthiness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy Daly
- Bioethics Program, FLACSO Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Science Norms Democracy UMR 8011, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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Dal-Ré R, Marušić A. The definition of research misconduct should be stated in the abstract when reporting research on research misconduct. Account Res 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38265048 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2024.2306538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Research integrity is the cornerstone for a reliable and trustworthy science. Research misconduct is classically defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism. To be considered as such, the action must have been committed with the intent to mislead or deceive. There are many other research misbehaviors such as duplication, fake-peer review or lack of disclosure of conflicts of interest, that are often included in the definition of research misconduct in codes, policies, and professional documents. The definition of research misconduct varies among countries and institutions, the seriousness and intentionality of the action. This variability is also present in research articles on the prevalence of research misconduct because it is common for each author to use a different definition, creating confusion for readers. We argue that the definition of research misconduct used in a study should be stated already in the abstract, particularly because not all publications are in open access, so that readers can fully understand what the study found concerning research misconduct without needing to have access to the full article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Dal-Ré
- Epidemiology Unit, Health Research Institute-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Marušić
- Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and Department of Research in Biomedicine and Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
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