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Source – This post on Retractions in Scientific Literature is based on the article “What are retractions and why do they matter?” published in The Hindu on 25th September 2024.
Why in News?
The ‘Retraction Watch’ database recently revealed that an Indian scientist at a Lucknow institute has faced 45 retractions.
About Retractions
1. A retraction occurs when a published scientific paper is found to contain significant flaws and is removed from academic literature.
2. Honest errors may lead to a retraction, but deliberate misconduct, such as manipulation or falsification is viewed much more harshly by the academic community.
3. About the Retraction Index: A journal’s retraction index is calculated by multiplying the number of retractions by 1,000 and dividing it by the total number of published articles. High-impact journals are more likely to retract papers compared to low-impact journals, indicating a greater focus on quality and scrutiny.
Retraction Incidence: Between 2020 and 2022, there was a 2.5-fold increase in retractions compared to 2017-2019. Scientific misconduct erodes trust within the scientific community, with many researchers feeling victimized by those who engage in fraud, as it undermines the credibility of legitimate research.
Reasons Behind Falsified Research
1. Paper mills produce low-quality or fake research papers, sell them to scientists aiming to inflate their publication count.
2. These operations, often traced to countries like Russia, Iran, and China contribute to the rise of falsified scientific research.
3. The demand is driven by pressure to publish for career advancement, securing grants, or completing PhD programs, as well as institutions’ efforts to improve global rankings based on research output.
Potential Solutions: Reducing research misconduct requires policy changes, including the development of AI tools to detect fake papers and the creation of better evaluation methods that prioritize research quality over quantity.
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