17.12.2023

An article published in the journal Nature highlights a record number of scientific article retractions in 2023. The number of retractions for research articles in 2023 has exceeded 10,000, setting a new annual record. A Nature analysis has identified Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Russia, and China as the countries with the highest retraction rates over the past two decades among large research-producing nations.The majority of retractions in 2023 were from journals owned by Hindawi, a London-based subsidiary of the publisher Wiley. While many of Hindawi's retracted papers may have been sham articles, they were collectively cited over 35,000 times. According to Nature's analysis, among countries that have published more than 100,000 articles in the past two decades, Saudi Arabia has the highest retraction rate, with 30 retractions per 10,000 articles, excluding retractions based on conference papers. If conference papers are included, China leads with a retraction rate exceeding 30 per 10,000 articles.