Are you aware of your citations? A cross-sectional survey on improper citations of retracted articles in assisted reproduction

Sabrina Minetto, Domenico Pisaturo, Greta Chiara Cermisoni, Valeria Stella Vanni, Luca Pagliardini, Enrico Papaleo, Vincenzo Berghella, Ben W. Mol, Alessandra Alteri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Research question: Are authors aware when they have cited a retracted paper in their manuscripts in the medically assisted reproduction (MAR) field? Design: A cross-sectional study based on an online survey was conducted to acquire information on the citation pattern from corresponding authors who had cited a retracted article. A dataset of retracted articles in the MAR field was collected from PubMed and Retraction Watch. A complete list of published articles that cited each retracted article was retrieved. The survey was distributed via e-mail to corresponding authors who had cited a retracted paper in their study. Results: The survey revealed a significant lack of awareness among authors, with 78.7% unaware that they had cited retracted articles. This lack of awareness was attributed to insufficient notification mechanisms within research databases and journals, alongside a reliance on previously stored copies of manuscripts. A notable finding was that reference checks were typically performed by a single author, with no instances of retraction concerns raised during the peer-review process. Only a small fraction (17.8%) of respondents reported verifying retraction notices on both journal websites and scientific databases. Conclusions: Correcting publications that contain references which are subsequently retracted is significant for systematic reviews, meta-analyses and guidelines. Citations of retracted articles perpetuate erroneous scientific data, but assessing the accuracy of citations requires considerable effort. Proper notification of retraction status and cross-checking of citations can help to prevent errors.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104366
Number of pages4
JournalReproductive BioMedicine Online
Volume49
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024

Keywords

  • Article retraction
  • Citations
  • MAR
  • Medically assisted reproduction
  • Research misconduct

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