KEY TAKEAWAY

• Crossref has acquired the Retraction Watch database, resulting in the largest freely available database of retracted articles to date.

Launched in 2018, and curated by The Center for Scientific Integrity, the Retraction Watch database has grown to include approximately 43,000 retracted research papers. In September 2023, it was announced that the database had been acquired by Crossref and made freely available.

Combined forces

This new approach marries Retraction Watch’s large database with Crossref’s focus on open metadata, digital object identifiers, and collection of over 130 million records. Publishers will now register retraction notices with Crossref, and Retraction Watch will continue to update the database. Crossref’s dataset also contains over 14,000 retracted articles, meaning that the combined database will be the largest of its kind, comprising around 50,000 retractions. This combination of volume, metadata, and open access will be a first and is an approach that Crossref and Retraction Watch hope will ensure sustainability in the long term.

This sustainability is important as the volume of research articles continues to grow. The retraction of inaccurate publications is vital to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. Retractions should be clearly publicised to prevent the spread of inaccurate or misleading information by researchers unknowingly citing retracted works.

Looking forwards

Retraction Watch co-founder, Ivan Oransky, and Crossref’s Director of Product, Rachael Lammey, hope that the organisations’ shared expertise will “…greatly increase the openly available information on retractions [which] … in turn helps the community benefit from and rely upon more comprehensive information…”.

The organisations’ shared expertise will “…greatly increase the openly available information on retractions [which] … in turn helps the community benefit from and rely upon more comprehensive information…”.

————————————————