Research Guides: Scholarly Authoring &amp; Presenting Guide: Are You Citing Retracted Papers?

What is Retraction?

It's important to know if you are relying on research which has been retracted after publication, especially if a particular method or discovery is a key underpinning in your work.

Retracted means an article has been withdrawn after publication.

Either the author of the paper or the editor of the journal may initiate a retraction. For example:

An author may discover an honest error in their data and want to withdraw the subsequent findings, which may be unfounded.
An editor may uncover evidence of unethical research practices, falsified data, plagiarism, or other breaches of research integrity which call the paper's credibility into question.

Retraction Guidelines from COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
COPE's Retraction guidelines for advice and guidance for editors: when should a retraction be considered, what to include in a notice, how quickly to issue a retraction, who should issue a retraction, and what to do when there is inconclusive evidence of a retraction.
Paper Retraction: Meaning and Main Reasons
Provides more information about how an article is retracted, and how/when one might cite a retracted article.
Retraction with honor
"Here are some reflections from the very honest and brave graduate student who discovered the problem" which resulted in the retraction of a paper from Evolution.

Learn What Has Been Retracted

Retraction Watch
Database of retracted publications, available on a limited-use basis for free searches. Checking more than 100 references or running more than 100 searches per month requires a commercial use license.

Additionally, some research databases will visibly identify a paper which has been retracted:

NISO CREC (Communication of Retractions, Removals, and Expressions of Concern) Working Group
NISO is working towards standards for communicating retractions, removals, and expressions of concern, so that this information can be consistently found during the research process and throughout the scholarly conversation. You can follow their work here, including reading and commenting on their draft proposals, if you are interested.