Skip to content

Tag: retractions

Published on
Retraction Watch and Crossref logos.
Image from Retraction Watch.

On September 12, 2023, Crossref, a not-for-profit membership organization aiming to make research easy to find, cite, link, assess, and reuse, formally acquired the Retraction Watch database, a comprehensive database of retractions. Retraction Watch began in 2010 as a journalism blog that aspired to “examine whether scientific correction mechanisms were robust” (Oransky, 2023). In 2018, with financial support from the MacArthur Foundation, the Arnold Foundation (now Arnold Ventures), and the Helmsley Trust, the Retraction Watch Database in its current form was officially launched. 

The database was licensed to organizations to help researchers stay informed about current retractions. With Crossref’s purchase of the Retraction Watch Database, the database will now be completely open and freely available. According to a Crossref blog post, this agreement “will allow Retraction Watch to keep the data populated on an ongoing basis and always open, alongside publishers registering their retraction notices directly with Crossref” (Hendricks, et al., 2023). This agreement only pertains to the Retraction Watch Database - the Retraction Watch blog continues to be separate from Crossref, and will continue to independently investigate retractions and related topics. Crossref will remain a “neutral facilitator in efforts to assess the quality of scientific works” (Hendricks, et al., 2023). 

So why does all of this matter? The volume of journal articles being published continues to grow. With so many articles being published, it’s difficult to keep track of articles that are later retracted. Researchers who want to avoid citing a retracted article in their papers have to put in a lot of time and effort into checking each reference on publisher sites for retractions, and it’s incredibly difficult to catch all retractions (Oransky & Lammey, 2023). It’s even more difficult for readers to know if a work they are reading is citing retracted articles. According to Hendricks et al., “combining efforts to create the largest single open-source database of retractions reduces duplication, making it more efficient, transparent, and accessible for all” (Hendricks et al., 2023). 

Interested in learning more? Watch a discussion about this new collaboration: 

References:

Hendricks, G., Lammey, R., Ofiesh, L., Bilder, G., Pentz, E. (2023, September 12). News: Crossref and Retraction Watch. Crossref blog. https://www.crossref.org/blog/news-crossref-and-retraction-watch/

Oransky, I. (2023, September 12). The Retraction Watch Database becomes completely open - and RW becomes far more sustainable. Retraction Watch blog. https://retractionwatch.com/2023/09/12/the-retraction-watch-database-becomes-completely-open-and-rw-becomes-far-more-sustainable/

Oransky, I., Lammey, R. (2023, September 27). Making retraction data freely accessible - Why Crossref’s acquisition of the Retraction Watch database is a big step forward. The London School of Economics and Political Science blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2023/09/27/making-retraction-data-freely-accessible-why-crossrefs-acquisition-of-the-retraction-watch-database-is-a-big-step-forward/

STM Publishing News. (2023, September 13). Crossref acquired Retraction Watch data and opens it for the scientific community. STM Publishing News. https://www.stm-publishing.com/crossref-acquires-retraction-watch-data-and-opens-it-for-the-scientific-community/

Published on
Image of a woman using a laptop from Women of Color in Tech stock images
Image from Women of Color in Tech stock images on Flickr (CC by 2.0)

The volume of new research being released can be overwhelming. You may need to keep up with new findings, developments, or guidelines to deliver quality patient care, pursue research, or teach and you may have multiple, disparate topics to follow. Scanning table of contents from your favorite journals won’t do the job. Twitter, ResearchGate and LinkedIn can help if you’re plugged into the right networks. We have some other tools to recommend to bring the latest relevant research to your attention.

Last spring Himmelfarb became an institutional member of Read by QxMD. Read is a personal awareness service for health sciences professionals. You can choose to follow curated collections or put in keywords to deliver relevant articles to your feed. The more you read, like, and save on Read, the more tailored your feed becomes. Check our article on Read to learn how to set up your free account and link directly to full-text articles. The Read app is available for Apple and Android devices and can be accessed via a web browser.

Browzine is a journal browsing and reading app that allows you to follow publications and receive alerts when new articles are published. You can set up a personal library of titles or search by subject. The Browzine mobile app allows you to download articles and read them offline. Set up a free account by accessing Browzine and selecting My Bookshelf. 

Several of Himmelfarb’s database services allow you to set up automated searches and search alerts. These include PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases like CINAHL. You can access any of these databases on Himmelfarb’s web page under Popular Resources. 

Additionally, Health Information @ Himmelfarb, the library’s search box, allows users to save searches that can be re-run later. After you’ve run your search, Sign In with your University UserID and password:

Screen shot of the Sign in option in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Then use the Save Query button to save your search.

Screen shot of the Save Query option in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

You can access the saved search later under My Favorites while signed in by clicking your name at upper right.

Screen shot of the menu selection for My Favorites in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Want to know what research has been retracted in your topics of interest? Retraction Watch is now integrated into Health Information @ Himmelfarb and Browzine via LibKey to alert you to retracted content.

For other tips on keeping up with the literature, check our Research Guide on How to Keep Up with Health Sciences Information.

Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.