Article Retraction: Don't Let This Happen

Did you know that an article published in a journal can be withdrawn from circulation at any time? This withdrawal is called article restriction, which is bad news for researchers. Article withdrawals are triggered by the presence of a serious error in the article, which may have been overlooked during the review process. Article withdrawals can be initiated by the researcher themselves or by the journal editor. If a researcher is aware of an error or mistake in an article, but the article has already been published in a journal and is widely circulated, they can request the journal editor to retract it. Such article withdrawals are generally appreciated, as they demonstrate good intentions and high academic integrity. However, if the withdrawal is unilaterally initiated by the journal editor, it indicates deliberate fraud by the researcher in the research or article writing process. This fraud can include data falsification and fabrication, plagiarism, false claims of authorship, multiple submissions, or violations of professional ethics. Such withdrawals negatively impact a researcher’s reputation and could even lead to blacklisting by all journals.

Cases of Article Retraction from Scientific Journals

The following are several cases of article retraction in the history of journal publications:

1. The case of Andrew Wakefield et al. in the journal “The Lancer” in 1998. Their article claimed a significant link between the MMR vaccine and autism. This claim was refuted by experts, both academic and practicing. However, their claim sparked global panic about vaccine safety and led to a decline in vaccination rates in various countries. After further research by several other researchers, the claim was proven to be false and misleading due to its use of manipulated data. Ultimately, “The Lancer” withdrew their article from circulation, and the authors had their medical licenses revoked for life, and they were blacklisted from all journals to date.
2. The case of Hwang Woo-Suk et al. in the journal “Science” in 2005. The article claimed that researchers had successfully created a human embryonic stem cell line through cloning. It was later revealed that the claim was based on falsified data. As a result, “Science” withdrew the article, and the authors were sentenced to three years in prison for violating the Bioethics Act, plus an additional 10 years because their deviant research project was funded by the state.
3. The case of Naoki Mori, a prominent Japanese oncology researcher, saw his paper retracted due to allegations of image manipulation. The retraction followed an investigation by the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, where Mori worked. In 2017, a University of Tokyo investigation concluded that he had manipulated images in five published research papers.
4. The case of Leen Kawas, which resulted in his resignation as CEO of Athira in 2021 following an investigation into his doctoral work, which manipulated data.
5. The case of He Jiankui, a Chinese researcher who claimed to have produced genetically modified babies in 2018, was retracted for data falsification, and he was sentenced to three years in prison in 2019.
6. The case of Yoshinori Watanabe, a highly respected cell biologist, was found to have manipulated images in several papers. A 2018 investigation by the University of Tokyo found him guilty of ethical violations, leading to several publication retractions. This case highlighted the vulnerability of image-based data to manipulation.
7. The case of Surgisphere, which conducted a medical study that was later retracted, claiming that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of death in COVID-19 patients. The study sparked controversy over the drug, which was allegedly produced by public figures like former President Donald Trump. The study, published in The Lancet and NEJM, relied on data from the healthcare analytics company Surgisphere. The study raised suspicions in the scientific community, which eventually discovered suspicious case numbers and other data discrepancies.
8. Anna Ahimastos, a medical researcher at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, falsified data in a study of the blood pressure medication ramipril. She later admitted to falsifying records for several patients. Researchers discovered the violation in 2015.
9. The case of Bharat Aggarwal, a researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published a questionable study claiming that curcumin could destroy cancer cells. His work drew public attention in 2012 for alleged falsification of data related to the cancer-fighting plant-derived chemical. By 2022, the publisher had retracted 30 of his research papers. Several others have received attention or been corrected.
10. John Darsee, a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School, was found guilty of falsifying extensive data in his research. An NIH review revealed “extensive scientific misconduct,” concluding that Darsee falsified data from fictitious experiments. As a result, the NIH banned him from receiving funding for 10 years.

The several cases of article retractions above demonstrate that deliberate scientific fraud is intolerable. Therefore, even after your article is successfully published in a journal, your work is not complete. You need to review your article, which may contain unintentional errors or oversights. If you discover any, withdraw your article from the journal immediately, before the journal editor unilaterally withdraws it.

How to Withdraw an Article from a Journal?

Each journal has its own procedures. In general, if you discover an error or mistake in your article, contact the journal editor immediately and provide a reason for retraction. The journal editor will then guide you through the withdrawal process according to the established procedures. In many cases, articles retracted by researchers based on honesty and professional ethics can be republished in the same journal after revision. Therefore, researchers need not worry about retracting articles based on honesty and professional ethics; in fact, this should be done immediately before the article is unilaterally withdrawn by the journal editor.