Author(s)
Elizabeth Mastoloni, BA BS
Albina Islam, BS
Daniel H. Coelho, MD, FACS
Affiliation(s)
VCU School of Medicine;
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be informed about the most common reasons for article retraction in otolaryngology journals and the implications for the scientific integrity of our field.
Objectives: To characterize retracted articles from the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) literature and analyze the reasons for their retraction.
Study Design: Database review (PubMed, EmBase, and RetractionWatch).
Methods: Databases were queried for retracted articles with titles relating to OHNS subjects published since 1992. Only articles published in OHNS journals were selected for further analysis. Variables recorded included journal name, journal impact factor, article type, article subspecialty subject, reason for retraction, whether republished, number of authors, and years between publication and retraction.
Results: Based on title, 245 articles related to the field of OHNS were identified, of which 68 were published in OHNS journals. Of those 16 (23.5%) were replaced due to erratum concerns (spelling, formatting etc.) rather than content or data related issues. Among the 52 (76.5%) permanent retractions the most common reasons for retraction include article duplication (n= 26), concerns/issues/errors with data (n= 7), and plagiarism (n= 5). Average impact factor across all the permanently retracted articles was found to be 2.38. The subject matter was clinical (n=20), reviews (n=17), and basic science (n=15). The average duration until retraction was 5.6 years, and the average number of citations was 16.
Conclusions: Despite increasing education in ethical publication standards and safeguards to identify it when it occurs, retractions still occur in our field. The average retracted article is highly cited and remains in circulation for over five years.