Published articles are viewed as the final, most reliable output of a research endeavour; however, even after publication, errors and oversights may come to light and these must be addressed. Corrections and retractions are mechanisms that serve to transparently correct these errors and help uphold research integrity in the scientific literature.

Following guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), MDPI works closely with authors, academic editors, and institutions to ensure research integrity.

Here, we explore the purpose of retractions and corrections in academic publishing and how MDPI approaches them.

What are retractions and corrections?

According to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE):

Retraction is a mechanism for correcting the literature and alerting readers to articles that have such seriously flawed or erroneous content or data that their findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon.

Retractions should be viewed as a healthy part of the publishing ecosystem to ensure the scientific record is correct, not as a method to punish authors. Their purpose is to correct the literature and notify readers that the findings are not reliable. Therefore, a retracted publication should not be cited or used for further research.

To ensure the public is well informed, a retraction notice is published and linked to the original retracted article. The notice must be freely available, objective, and factual.

In some cases, the errors identified in published manuscripts can be fixed and have no effect on the main results or conclusions drawn. In such cases a correction is sufficient. A correction involves updating a publication and accompanying it with a statement or separate correction notice that details what has been changed.

According to the Researcher of the Future report published by Elsevier, 85% of researchers agree that corrections and retractions of research articles ensure integrity.

Who initiates post-publication updates?

Post-publication updates such as retractions and corrections can be initiated by the authors, readers, institutions, editors, or other third parties.

When authors self-report scientific flaws, they should be commended. These authors are demonstrating adherence to high ethical standards and are taking a very applaudable step towards addressing scientific inaccuracies.

Once concerns are raised, MDPI ensures that investigations are performed in accordance with its four core publication ethics principles and in line with COPE guidelines. Cases often involve multiple parties and investigations may require time to ensure that all relevant evidence is gathered and carefully evaluated. This process, centred around neutrality, transparency and consistency, allows decisions to be made with due diligence and ensures outcomes are fair, well-reasoned, and ethically robust.

Given that some post-publication updates can lead to long investigation times, it is imperative that publishers are notified promptly of any issues so that they may take action swiftly.

When is a retraction appropriate?

To ensure retractions are delivered fairly and accurately, COPE provides guidance on reasons that justify a retraction. These include:

• Findings are unreliable;
• Authorship, and therefore accountability, cannot be verified;
• Detection of misrepresentation or fraud;
• Extensive overlap with previously published content or redundant publication;
• Unauthorised use of data or materials;
• Copyright infringement or other legal issues;
• Unethical research;
• Compromised peer review process;
• Major conflicts of interest that bias the research;
• Research that relies on content that was retracted or corrected.

There is no ideal number of retractions for publishers to aim for, and they should not be misjudged for having too many or not enough retractions. A publisher’s responsibility is to ensure that, once alerted to concerns regarding the validity of a publication, these are investigated thoroughly.

For retractions, each paper is assessed independently by the journal’s Editorial Board, with the final decision being made by the Editor-in-Chief. Retractions serve to notify readers when the conclusions of a paper can no longer be relied upon.

Retractions reflect the commitment of authors and publishers to preserve the scholarly record and ensure all published findings are accurate. MDPI has clear and easy-to-follow guidelines on post-publication updates and aligns with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in how they are dealt with.

How MDPI approaches updating published papers

In line with COPE, MDPI works closely with authors, academic editors, and institutions during an investigation to determine if the presented research is still valid and deemed reliable.

It is not the publisher who decides whether a retraction is necessary but the Editorial Board of the journal. The investigation relies on authors and occasionally institutions to provide input. Ultimately, the Editor-in-Chief of the journal determines the best course of action.

MDPI’s role in post-publication updates is to ensure that COPE guidelines are followed and that the editorial staff and academic editors are informed of them.

Types of corrections

If an error can be rectified without impacting the results or conclusion, a correction is sufficient to address the error. Aligning with COPE guidelines, MDPI has a transparent and standardised approach to corrections.

Corrections involve updating the publication. At MDPI, they can either be minor or major:

• Minor corrections address issues that do not impact the scientific content of an article but require an updated version to be uploaded. Any changes made are documented as either a footnote in the PDF version or in the backmatter of the online version.
• Major corrections address issues and errors that could affect the scientific interpretation of an article. Papers will be updated and republished, along with the publication of a separate correction notice detailing all changes made.

For more information, please consult MDPI’s correction reference guideline.

Expressions of concern

Expressions of concern are issued for complex, inconclusive or prolonged investigations. For these, a statement is released by the journal acknowledging the concern whilst also summarising actions taken as part of the investigation.

Expressions of concern signify that a paper is undergoing an investigation. It is a separate notice that is linked to the original publication and alerts readers to possible issues that are under investigation or prove to be inconclusive.

MDPI only issues expressions of concern when absolutely necessary, with the priority of alerting readers to ongoing concerns and investigations. Publishers and editors should strive to conclude investigations in a timely manner where possible and to provide the scientific community with the necessary updates.

Retractions

Regardless of how much effort and time authors, reviewers, and editors invest in the peer review process, there will always be cases where mistakes or ethical breaches can pass through the process undetected. Nonetheless, these articles threaten the integrity of the scientific record and need to be retracted.

Retractions indicate that the results of the publication cannot be relied upon. The original publication is amended with a watermark that reads “RETRACTED” and will still be available on the journal’s website for future reference.

A retraction notice is then published using the same authorship and affiliation as the paper being retracted. This is to ensure that both the notice and retracted paper can be easily found by readers within indexing databases.

Under exceptional circumstances, some papers must be completely removed and only the title and author names will remain available to the public. The notice will detail the reason for complete removal, which may include:

• The removal was requested by a court or governmental order;
• The content poses a threat to personal privacy or the legal rights of other parties;
• The research was conducted or published unlawfully;
• The content poses risks to the public.

MDPI’s Research Integrity team

Research integrity is central to MDPI’s mission to advance open scientific exchange.

Accordingly, since 2024, the size of MDPI’s Research Integrity team has tripled. This growth has strengthened the team’s expertise and ability to provide trainings and guidance, encouraging ethical publishing practices and deepening collaboration with external organisations.

In recent years, the main reason for retractions is attributed to scientific misconduct. This may coincide with the rise of AI tools used to fabricate or manipulate data, images, or text.

To safeguard academic integrity, the Research Integrity team has prioritised preventative strategies. The focus is on developing tools to detect scientific misconduct, testing externally available tools and working closely with other publishers to share experiences and strengthen processes.

Click here to learn more about the Research Integrity team’s efforts to safeguard academic integrity.

MDPI: ensuring research integrity

Retractions are not methods of penalising authors; instead, they reflect active efforts to preserve the scholarly record. They are a vital aspect of maintaining the highest ethical standards.

MDPI recognises its responsibility to correct any scientific errors or ethical issues that arise. All MDPI journals adhere to standardised criteria for updates to published papers, ensuring amendments are transparent, informative, and rectified in a timely manner. These criteria align with the COPE guidelines, providing clear and easy-to-understand policies and working closely with authors and institutions.

Research integrity enables Open Access to thrive. It promotes honesty, accountability, fairness, and the highest research standards. In turn, Open Access strengthens research integrity through promoting transparency.

MDPI’s mission is to ensure openness is paired with its commitment to maintaining research integrity throughout all its journals. While we champion accessibility, transparency, and efficiency across all published work, we are committed to ensuring accuracy, integrity, and ethical rigor is always the priority.

Click here to read about MDPI’s policies on updating published papers.

This article was written in collaboration with Jack McKenna, Senior Content Specialist.