Sources of error in the retracted scientific literature
Sources of error in the retracted scientific literature
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DOI：
10.1096/fj.14-256735
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发表时间：
2014-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Fang, Ferric C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Casadevall, Arturo;Steen, R. Grant;Fang, Ferric C.
撤回有缺陷的文章是纠正科学文献的重要机制。我们最近报告说，大多数撤回与科学不端行为有关。在目前的研究中，我们专注于没有发现不当行为的撤稿子集，以确定错误的主要原因。对PubMed中收录的423篇文章的撤回通知进行分析，发现错误相关撤回的最常见原因是实验室错误、分析错误和不可重现的结果。最常见的实验室错误是污染和与分子生物学程序有关的问题（例如，测序、克隆）。过去，由于污染而导致的回缩更为常见，而现在分析错误的频率正在增加。一些出版物尽管显示包含重大错误但未被撤回，这表明撤回障碍可能会阻碍文献的更正。特别是，尽管认识到这个问题已经影响了许多出版物，但发现由于细胞系污染而导致的撤回的情况很少。理解导致撤回的错误可以指导实践，以改善实验室研究和科学文献的完整性。也许最重要的是，我们的分析发现了用于纠正科学文献的机制中存在的主要问题，并建议科学界采取行动，通过确保出版过程完整性的协议。
Retraction of flawed articles is an important mechanism for correction of the scientific literature. We recently reported that the majority of retractions are associated with scientific misconduct. In the current study, we focused on the subset of retractions for which no misconduct was identified, in order to identify the major causes of error. Analysis of the retraction notices for 423 articles indexed in PubMed revealed that the most common causes of error-related retraction are laboratory errors, analytical errors, and irreproducible results. The most common laboratory errors are contamination and problems relating to molecular biology procedures (e.g., sequencing, cloning). Retractions due to contamination were more common in the past, whereas analytical errors are now increasing in frequency. A number of publications that have not been retracted despite being shown to contain significant errors suggest that barriers to retraction may impede correction of the literature. In particular, few cases of retraction due to cell line contamination were found despite recognition that this problem has affected numerous publications. An understanding of the errors leading to retraction can guide practices to improve laboratory research and the integrity of the scientific literature. Perhaps most important, our analysis has identified major problems in the mechanisms used to rectify the scientific literature and suggests a need for action by the scientific community to adopt protocols that ensure the integrity of the publication process.