Global study at Retraction Watch Database RWDB

Global study at Retraction Watch Database RWDB

The Retraction Watch is a global platform. The dataset was utilized for a quantitative analysis aimed: regional discrepancies, countries with most, analysis of publishers, and reasons.

In September 2023, 47024 registers. Statistical analyses were carried using R software and Excel.

East Asia & Pacific accounted for 26278 cases, Europe & Central Asia 8558, North America 4442, South Asia 3453, Middle East & North Africa 2453, Latin America & Caribbean 641. China had 22178 cases, United States 3730, India 3074, Russia 2491, Germany 977, The UK 888, and South Korea 777. Upper middle-income 26633, High 13034, Low middle 5589, and Low 891. Articles were behind paywalls 95%, and coauthors 83%. The publishers associated retractions 'IEEE' 10088, 'Springer' 5993, 'Elsevier' 5709, 'Wiley' 2863, 'Hindawi' 2030, 'Taylor and Francis' 1917. The reasons 'Concerns' (9276 cases) and 'Notice' (6307), 'Duplication' (5888), 'Breach' (4728), 'Error' (4146), 'Fake Peer Review' (3430), 'Euphemisms/misconducts' (2044), 'Data of Retraction/Other Unknown' (2022).

The region with the highest East Asia & Pacific driven by China. Upper middle-income the highest number. The majority were associated with paywalled articles and reputable publishers, often featuring coauthorship. The reasons were 'Concerns', 'Notice', 'Duplication', 'Breach',  'Error'. Notably, a significant number were attributed to 'Fake Peer Review’.