The Retraction Penalty: Evidence from the Web of Science

45 Pages Posted: 1 Dec 2013

See all articles by Susan F. Lu

Susan F. Lu

Purdue University - Krannert School of Management

Ginger Zhe Jin

University of Maryland - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Brian Uzzi

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

Benjamin F. Jones

Northwestern University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Abstract

Scientific articles are retracted at increasing rates, with the highest rates among top journals. Here we show that a single retraction triggers citation losses through an author’s prior body of work. Compared to closely-matched control papers, citations fall by an average of 6.9% per year for each prior publication. These chain reactions are sustained on authors’ papers (a) published up to a decade earlier and (b) connected within the authors’ own citation network by up to 4 degrees of separation from the retracted publication. Importantly, however, citation losses among prior work disappear when authors self-report the error. Our analyses and results span the range of scientific disciplines.

Keywords: retraction, self-reporting

JEL Classification: D

Suggested Citation

Lu, Susan Feng and Jin, Ginger Zhe and Uzzi, Brian and Jones, Benjamin F., The Retraction Penalty: Evidence from the Web of Science. Simon School Working Paper No. FR 13-30, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2361984

Susan Feng Lu

Purdue University - Krannert School of Management ( email )

1310 Krannert Building
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1310
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/susanluhome/home

Ginger Zhe Jin

University of Maryland - Department of Economics ( email )

College Park, MD 20742
United States
301-405-3484 (Phone)
301-405-3542 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Brian Uzzi

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Benjamin F. Jones (Contact Author)

Northwestern University ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States
847-491-3177 (Phone)
847-467-1777 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
96
Abstract Views
1,234
Rank
492,371
PlumX Metrics