{"id":6489,"date":"2026-07-28T11:16:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hacto.umh.es\/2026\/07\/28\/retracted-articles\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T06:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:30:12","slug":"retracted-articles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hacto.umh.es\/en\/2026\/07\/28\/retracted-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"Retracted articles"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A scientific article<\/a> is a scholarly work that describes and analyses the original or reviewed findings of a research study, with the aim of contributing to the advancement of knowledge in a specific field. Such articles are generally published in high-impact journals subject to a peer review process. However, even after this oversight, works containing significant errors are sometimes published. But what happens when a publication turns out to be flawed?<\/p>\n

In such cases, the article may be retracted \u2014 a process that involves a public notice from the journal indicating that the content of the article is unreliable. The most common forms of misconduct leading to retraction include plagiarism, fraudulent data manipulation, ethical violations, simultaneous submission of the same work to multiple journals, and absent or false declarations of conflicts of interest and funding sources. By contrast, serious unintentional flaws \u2014 such as methodological or review errors \u2014 are generally the result of honest mistakes. It is worth noting that retraction does not mean removing the article<\/strong>; rather, it is marked as retracted and the reasons are explained, while access to the original text is maintained.<\/p>\n

How is an article retracted?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The procedure for retracting an article can be divided into two processes, depending on the nature of the retraction. The simplest case is a self-retraction<\/strong>: the authors themselves detect the error and notify the journal. If the error is correctable, it is typically addressed through an erratum or a corrigendum to the original article. If, however, the issue is serious enough to compromise the validity of the results or involves misconduct, a retraction notice is issued explaining the reason for the error transparently and clearly stating that the content is unreliable \u2014 though the article is neither withdrawn from the journal nor deleted.<\/p>\n

When there are suspicions of misconduct, whether in the research itself or in the drafting of the manuscript, any reader may submit a formal complaint setting out their reasons. If, following investigation, a retraction is deemed necessary, a complaint-based retraction process will be initiated. In this case, the journal opens a file, gathers the relevant evidence, and asks the authors to submit their response. Once all information has been collected, the journal’s editorial team examines the case thoroughly and decides whether to proceed with retraction. Although self-retractions are generally viewed more favourably, they sometimes conceal what are effectively complaint-driven retractions, allowing authors to avoid the reputational damage associated with publishing fraudulent content. It should be noted that each publisher has its own retraction policies, and it is advisable to consult these.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between a retracted article and a corrected one?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A corrected article addresses minor errors or adds clarifications that do not invalidate the main results, whereas a retraction indicates that the article contains errors that compromise the validity of its findings.<\/p>\n

How do I identify a retracted article? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The resources presented below can help identify errors and misconduct, and encourage a critical reading of the articles we consult or cite. The simplest way to check whether an article has been retracted is to verify it on the journal or publisher’s website, where it will be flagged with a visible notice, as shown in the image:<\/p>\n

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The bibliographic reference manager Zotero<\/a> also displays a similar notice indicating that the article has been retracted:<\/p>\n

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In other cases, identification is not so straightforward, and we may need to turn to resources that can help us find retracted articles, corrections, or comments about a given publication. Below are some useful tools:<\/p>\n