Retraction Watch

Retraction Watch is a blog that focuses on the retraction of scientific studies and other related issues. It was established in August 2010 by science journalists Ivan Oransky, who is the Vice President of Editorial at Medscape, and Adam Marcus, the editor for Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News. The blog is managed by the Center for Scientific Integrity.

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Web of Science delists bioengineering journal in wake of paper mill cleanup

1 week ago | retractionwatch.com | Holly Else

Bioengineered has lost its spot in Clarivate’s Web of Science index, as of its April update. The journal has been working to overcome a flood of paper mill activity, but sleuths have questioned why hundreds of papers with potentially manipulated images have still not been retracted. A spokesperson for Taylor & Francis, which publishes the journal, said it has taken action against the paper mill; the journal has retracted 86 papers since January 2022.
Journal collected $400,000 from papers it later retracted

1 week ago | retractionwatch.com | Kate Travis

A Sage journal that holds the distinction of highest number of retracted articles in the Retraction Watch Database likely made in excess of $400,000 in revenue from those papers, by our calculations. We reported in April that the Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems (JIFS) had retracted 1,561 articles as part of a cleanup operation on likely paper mill activity.
‘Now is not the time to fade’: Retraction Watch awarded Council of Science Editors’ highest honor

1 week ago | retractionwatch.com | Adam Marcus |Ivan Oransky

Retraction Watch has been honored with the Council of Science Editors’ highest honor: The 2025 Award for Meritorious Achievement. CSE gives the award each year to an organization or individual who has made “significant contributions” toward the goal of CSE, “namely, the improvement of scientific communication through the pursuit of high standards in all activities connected with editing.” We were honored to be at the CSE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis today to accept the award.
Former cancer researcher who sued university for discrimination hits 35 retractions

1 week ago | retractionwatch.com | Kate Travis

A cancer researcher who was once the subject of a misconduct investigation at an Illinois university more than 10 years ago has made his debut on the Retraction Watch Leaderboard with 35 retractions. Last month Oncogene, a Springer Nature title, retracted 15 articles by Jasti Rao, formerly of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
Why has it taken more than a year to correct a COVID-19 paper?

2 weeks ago | retractionwatch.com | Kate Travis

A correction to a clinical trial on a potential treatment for COVID-19 has taken more than a year — and counting — to get published. In the meantime, the article remains marked with an expression of concern that appeared in February 2024. The Lancet Regional Health–Americas published the study, a randomized clinical trial of the effect of metformin on hospitalization rates among COVID-19 patients, in December 2021.
AI-Reddit study leader gets warning as ethics committee moves to ‘stricter review process’

2 weeks ago | retractionwatch.com | Kate Travis

The university ethics committee that reviewed a controversial study that deployed AI-generated posts on a Reddit forum made recommendations the researchers did not heed, Retraction Watch has learned. The principal investigator on the study has received a formal warning, and the university’s ethics committees will implement a more rigorous review process for future studies, a university official said.
Experiment using AI-generated posts on Reddit draws fire for ethics concerns

2 weeks ago | retractionwatch.com | Kate Travis

Note: We’ve published a new story with the University of Zurich’s response, as well as comments from Reddit’s chief legal officer. An experiment deploying AI-generated messages on a Reddit subforum has drawn criticism for, among other critiques, a lack of informed consent from unknowing participants in the community. The university overseeing the research is standing by its approval of the study, but has indicated the principal investigator has received a warning for the project.
Sodom comet paper to be retracted two years after editor’s note acknowledging concerns

3 weeks ago | retractionwatch.com | Ellie Kincaid

Scientific Reports will retract a controversial paper claiming to present evidence an ancient city in the Middle East was destroyed by an exploding celestial body – an event the authors suggested could have inspired the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah. The decision comes two years after Scientific Reports, a Springer Nature title, published an editor’s note informing readers the journal was looking into concerns about the data and conclusions in the work.
Suspended UK surgeon earns nine expressions of concern, one withdrawal

3 weeks ago | retractionwatch.com | Dalmeet Singh Chawla

A U.K.-based surgeon who was suspended last year for conducting colorectal surgeries that caused harm to hundreds of women has had nine of his research papers flagged and one withdrawn.
Medical societies call for BMJ to retract ‘misleading and irresponsible’ guideline

3 weeks ago | retractionwatch.com | Ellie Kincaid

Thirty-four medical professional societies have called for The BMJ to retract a recently published guideline recommending against the use of interventional procedures, such as steroid or anaesthetic injections, to treat chronic back pain. The journal published the guideline in February as part of its Rapid Recommendations program alongside a meta-analysis and systematic review of published research on the procedures, which the guideline panel used to inform its recommendations.