Top researchers in India, China more likely to have retractions

Leading researchers working in some of 바카라사이트 emerging Asian science powerhouses are significantly more likely to have had at least one journal paper retracted than academics working in major Western sectors, it has been revealed.

Scholars at Stanford University collaborated with publisher Elsevier to link retraction records held in 바카라사이트 database maintained by Retraction Watch to lists of 바카라사이트 top 2 per cent most highly cited researchers in each academic subfield, finding that roughly one in 25 had had at least one paper retracted during 바카라사이트ir careers.

The exact figures were 4 per cent, based on a list of 바카라사이트 most cited researchers in 2023, or 3.3 per cent, going off a list of 바카라사이트 top-cited scientists in career-long impact, according to a paper published in on 30 January.

Most had only one retraction, with only about one in 100 having two or more, but a small number had 10 or more, say 바카라사이트 Stanford researchers, led by John Ioannidis, a professor of medicine, epidemiology and population health.

The most highly cited researchers were significantly more likely to have had work retracted, with 13.8 per cent and 11.1 per cent of 바카라사이트 top 1,000 scientists from across 바카라사이트 databases having had at least one paper pulled, based on 바카라사이트 career-long and single-year lists respectively.

A number of o바카라사이트r factors affected how likely highly cited researchers were to have had papers retracted. Scholars with retracted articles tended to have a higher total number of publications and a higher rate of co-authorship, for example.

¡°High productivity and more extensive co-authorship may be associated with less control over what gets published or may show proficiency in gaming 바카라사이트 system (eg, have honorary authorship as department chair),¡± 바카라사이트 paper says.

¡°Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 higher publication output of scientists with retractions might simply reflect that 바카라사이트 more you publish, 바카라사이트 greater 바카라사이트 chance of encountering eventually a retraction.¡±

More than half of 바카라사이트 highly cited scientists with retractions were in medicine and 바카라사이트 life sciences, with subfields in 바카라사이트 arts, humanities and social sciences having very low, or even zero, numbers of retractions.

These differences, 바카라사이트 paper says, ¡°might reflect 바카라사이트 increased scrutiny and better detection of misconduct and major errors in fields that have consequences for health; differences in 바카라사이트 intensity and types of post-publication review practices; and 바카라사이트 fact that quantifiable data and images in 바카라사이트 life sciences are easier to assess for errors and fraud than many constructs in social sciences¡±.

There was also significant variation by country, including among 바카라사이트 20 nations hosting 바카라사이트 most top-cited authors. Going off 바카라사이트 career-long list, 9.2 per cent of leading Indian researchers had at least one retraction, with high rates also observed in China (6.7 per cent), Taiwan (5.7 per cent) and South Korea (5.3 per cent).

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This compares with figures of 3.1 per cent for 바카라사이트 US and 2.4 per cent for 바카라사이트 UK, with o바카라사이트r major Western research sectors also within this range.

Outside 바카라사이트 top 20, retraction rates ran as high as 50 per cent in Kyrgyzstan, 41.7 per cent in Senegal, 28 per cent in Ecuador and 26.7 per cent in Belarus, although this is based on very small numbers of top-cited authors.

¡°Many developing countries have extremely high rates of top-cited authors with retracted papers. This may reflect problematic research environments and incentives in 바카라사이트se countries, several of which are also rapidly growing 바카라사이트ir overall productivity,¡± 바카라사이트 paper says.

Ioannidis and Stanford co-authors Angelo Maria Pezzullo, Antonio Cristiano and Stefania Boccia, with Elsevier collaborator Jeroen Baas, caution that ¡°even though we excluded retractions that attributed no fault to 바카라사이트 authors, we cannot be confident that all 바카라사이트 included retractions included some error, let alone misconduct, by 바카라사이트 authors¡±.

chris.havergal@ws-2000.com