An alarming retraction rate for scientific publications on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

ABSTRACT

The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has triggered a flurry of associated research publications, numbering to ~137 papers a day since February 2020. This rate of publication appears to be exceptionally high, when compared to research papers published on other similar topics. Searches of COVID-19-associated publications on PubMed and Retraction Watch Database indicate that the retraction record appearance rate for COVID-19-related research is also exceptionally high compared to other related research topics in viral epidemics/pandemics and surpasses the basal level of about 4 in 10,000 papers. This finding serves as a reminder and caution against any lapses in the standard of work, peer review, and publication of COVID-19-related research.

KEYWORDS:

• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• pandemic
• research ethics
• retractions

Disclosure statement

No conflict of interest.

Notes

1. https://www.journals.elsevier.com/personality-and-individual-differences/news/priority-handling-for-covid-19-papers

2. https://www.hindawi.com/covid-19-collection/

3. https://www.who.int/who-documents-detail/a-coordinated-global-research-roadmap

4. https://www.bdd.rdplf.org/index.php/bdd/article/view/54713

5. Sequence from virus collected from a female COVID-19 patient in St Petersburg and uploaded to the GISAID database (https://www.gisaid.org/) carried 200 mutations compared with the first sample released by Chinese researchers in early January. This was soon retracted and updated with one that indicated 7 mutations.

6. Pradhan et al. Uncanny similarity of unique inserts in the 2019-nCoV spike protein to HIV-1 gp120 and Gag. BioR×iv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.30.927871 (withdrawn)