Retractions

Science is self-correcting. When a paper is found to be wrong, it is retracted.

This is the nuclear option. The paper is pulled from the record. It should never be cited again.

Why Papers Die

1. Honest Error: The authors found a coding bug. They did the right thing and confessed.
2. Misconduct: Plagiarism, image manipulation, or ethical violations.
3. Fraud: Fabricating data. Making it all up.

The Zombie Paper Problem

The problem is that papers live forever on the internet. You download a PDF in 2020. It gets retracted in 2022. In 2024, you cite the PDF. You don't know it was retracted.

These are Zombie Papers. They continue to be cited as fact long after they have been debunked.

The Diagnosis

Before you cite a paper, check if it is still alive. Tools like Retraction Watch track these zombies.

A retraction is not always a sign of a bad scientist. An honest retraction is a sign of integrity. But a fraudulent one is a crime.