Retractions of academic #journalpapers have increased at a stunning clip.
In 2002, I finished my PhD & there were 119 known retractions.
In 2022, I agreed to chair my 20th dissertation & there were 4600+ known retractions.
In that time, Retraction Watch (retractionwatch.com)(RW) emerged.
RW reports that roughly 8 in 10,000 papers are retracted, they have identified 37,000+ #retractions over two decades, & the rate of retractions is growing.
For the curious, see RW's "top ten retractions" of 2022: https://lnkd.in/e6UU3M3E
Papers were retracted for manipulating #data (at least 14 by one biologist), the #peerreview process (120 papers at 1 journal!), or manipulating authorship (a #papermill had 850 #physics papers #retracted).
It's a fascinating read!
Why are people cheating?
One, it is easier to do.
It's far easier to fabricate, manipulate, & torture data than in 2002.
Two, it's easy to hide in the crowd.
The volume of #academic papers is soaring.
Three, the rewards for cheating have increased.
As #rankings & #impactfactors have grown pervasive, faculty feel pressure to produce to land and keep jobs or secure raises and status.
Four, few decision-makers actively prosecute misconduct.
Editors, deans, & department chairs seem reluctant to go after cheaters - they don't have the time & resources to pursue cheaters.
What time & resources they have goes to building a positive reputation - catching cheats doesn't help with that.
Fifth, we lack a global infrastructure for chasing misconduct.
A case against one senior professor accused of misconduct by several editors was recently dropped.
Why? BC, while acknowledging misconduct, the editors, sponsoring associations & home institution said prosecuting the bad actor was the others' responsibility.
No one appears to be in charge.
So, it's a mess - it's easier to cheat, people have reason to cheat, and institutions want to chase cheaters.
Given that mess? Should we throw our hands up? And give up?
No.
Despite the mess, more misconduct is being caught.
It's being caught bc most scholars and publishers want to do the right thing.
Scholars are self-policing and reporting misconduct.
And as RW growing database shows, most Uni's & journals will take action when pressed.
It has taken some time, but an ad hoc system to police misconduct is emerging.
Individual scholars, with support from actors like RW, are nudging publishers like Clarivate to address misconduct (https://lnkd.in/eXVHRQj2) & pushing Uni's to terminate lousy faculty.
This emergent system is measured, demanding evidence of misconduct, not just rumor, to go after bad actors.
So rather than gnashing our teeth, we should celebrate the whistleblowers, support the emerging systems, & teach our PhD students how to conduct responsible, ethical research.
If we do, we will build a better academe!
Best of luck in the New Year!
