Beyond Retractions: A Topic-Based Analysis of the Impact and Lifespan of Retracted Papers
Ying Lou, Zhengyi Zhou, Menghui LiAbstract
Purpose
Retraction count is a widely used metric for research integrity, but it overlooks the heterogeneous impact of retracted papers. Erroneous information from retracted papers tends to spread to subsequent research, compromising downstream reliability. The citation impact and lifespan of retracted papers represent a critical yet underexplored dimension of research integrity, warranting inclusion in evaluation frameworks.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a framework for analyzing the citation impact and lifespan of retracted papers, applied to over 50,000 retracted articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS).
Findings
Retracted papers accumulate substantial citations, yet their distribution is highly skewed, with 20 % of articles capturing 75 % of all citations. While the majority exhibit short citation lifespans, a small subset sustains influence for decades. Significant disparities exist across disciplines: papers in Clinical & Life Science tend to attract more citations and maintain them over longer periods, whereas papers in Computer Science generally receive fewer citations that decline rapidly. Network-level analysis further reveals that retractions are not randomly scattered but tend to cluster within citation networks, forming patterns resembling propagation along citation pathways. Articles citing retracted works are associated with substantially higher subsequent retraction rates, and this association appears to strengthen with the number of retracted papers cited.
Research limitations
The analysis was confined to WoS data, which may underestimate citation lifespan. Citation counts do not distinguish between positive, negative, and neutral citations. As an observational study, we identify associations rather than establish causation.
Practical implications
These findings provide a nuanced understanding of how retracted papers influence subsequent research across disciplines. The framework supports targeted integrity governance.
Originality/value
This study proposes integrating the citation impact and lifespan of retracted papers into scientific integrity metrics, thereby expanding the dimensional framework for evaluating research integrity beyond simple retraction counts.