| Date of Change | Field | Change | Reason |
| 7/13/2020 | Reasons | add: Transfer of Copyright/Ownership | To indicate when a retraction is made solely for a change in copyright or ownership of material. Commonly seen when books/journals change or when copyright reverts back to the authors. Does NOT refer to disputes/violations in ownership or copyright. |
| 10/2/2020 | Reasons | Removed “Prior” from Cited Prior Retracted Work; Changed “Cited” to “Cites” | Articles are removed when cited works are later retracted. The word “Prior” is thus misleading, and there are not enough to create a new reason. Appendix B updated 2/8/2021 |
| 1/4/2021 | Reasons | Added new reason: “Duplicate Publication through Error by Journal/Publisher” | To differentiate Journal/Publisher-caused dual publication of an article from dual submission of article by the authors. NOTE: Changes are being made in the entries at this time. Will note when completed. NOTE: Completed 1/31/2021; Appendix B updated 2/8/2021. |
| 2/8/2021 | Article Type | Changed “Newspaper/Magazine” to “Trade Magazine” | More reflective of the nature of publications included in the database. Appendix C updated to reflect change |
| 2/8/2021 | Reasons | Updated Appendix B -Lack of IRB/IACUC Approval -Withdrawn to Publish in Different Journal -Transfer of Copyright/Ownership -Lack Of Balance/Bias Issues | -Lack of IRB/IACUC Approval definition includes a notation for prior to study initiation, or the failure to provide proof of approval -Withdrawn to Publish in Different Journal: definition added -Transfer of Copyright/Ownership: definition added -Lack Of Balance/Bias Issues: Changed to Bias Issues or Lack of Balance for clarity |
| 2/16/2021 | Reasons | Added “Rogue Editor” | Applies to fraudulent editor (i.e. non-existent or with false credential); applies to those lists as “Guest Editor” as well; Appendix B updated |
| 2/16/2021 | Reasons | Added “Paper Mill” | For papers believed or known to have been produced by a Paper Mill; Appendix B updated |
| 4/20/2021 | Reasons | Added “Original Data not provided” | When the original data is not made available for review by editorial staff; Appendix B updated. |
| 6/29/2021 | Reasons | Added “Withdrawn (out of date)” | For articles retracted as part of the journal’s normal process of keeping guidelines or reviews current. Appendix B updated 6/30/2021 |
| 7/27/2021 | Article Type | Added “Revision” | When the original article is updated and the new version is given its own doi. Not to be confused with “Retract and Replace,” which are generally associated with significant errors in the original article. |
| 10/21/2021 | Reasons | Added Randomly Generated Content | When an article is has sections of text or data that was created via a randomizing algorithm such as Mathgen or Scigen |
| 2/24/2022 | Search Page | Change in the number of search returns | Search return limited to 50 entries |
| 2/24/2022 | Nature of Notice | Addition of notice type: Reinstatement | For cases where the DOI of the original and replacement paper are the same. Avoids the replacement article being tagged as retracted in 3rd-party programs. |
| 1/23/2023 | Subject | additionof new subject: (B/T) Data Science | To apply to the application of computer science, statistics and/or mathematical sciences to datasets to ascertain their meaning/significance |
| 4/24/2023 | Reasons | addition of Concerns/Issues about Human Subject Welfare and Concerns/Issues about Animal Welfare | to address concerns as to the ethical treatment of case or study subjects |
| 5/8/2023 | Reasons | addition of “EOC Lifted” | to be used when an Expression of Concern removed or is no longer considered applicable |
| 6/7/2023 | Reasons Page on blogsite | Taken from Dissertation/Thesis | Definition added to the “Reasons” blogpage; |
| 6/7/2023 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues with Peer Review | For when Peer Review has not been performed, or questions about how well it has been perfomed is mentioned as part of the retraction. |
| 9/23/2024 | Reasons | Breach of Policy by Third Party | Removed |
| 9/23/2024 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Article | Added: Any question, controversy or dispute about published content, or undefined sections of it. |
| 9/23/2024 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Authorship | Amended to Concerns/Issues about Authorship/Affiliation: Any question, controversy or dispute about authorship and/or affiliation, except for false/forged authorship or false/forged affiliation. False/forged authorship or false/forged affiliation are covered under their own reasons. |
| 9/23/2024 | Reasons | Contamination of Materials (General) and Contamination of Reagents | Contamination of Reagents removed, and Contamination of Materials has “(General)” removed: Impurities were found or suspected within compounds, reagents or solutions used in experiments. |
| 9/23/2024 | Reasons | Withdrawal | Amended to Removed: The original article is removed from access on the journal’s website or publishing platform. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Randomly Generated Content | Amended to Computer-Aided Content or Computer-Generated Content: Contains any content that was created via a text generator, randomizing algorithm, generative AI, etc. Some examples of these tools include Mathgen, Scigen, ChatGPT. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Author Unresponsive | Definition changed to: The corresponding author(s) did not respond to journal/publisher requests for response, clarification, etc., about one or more concerns/issues with a publication. RW does not apply this reason when the lack of response is only to the language or posting of a notice of correction/EOC/retraction. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Bias Issues or Lack of Balance | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about balance or bias in any of the methods, analyses, results or any part of the published content. RW entries using this reason do not state or imply, nor should users infer, any intentionality. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Breach of Policy by Author | Definition changed to: A journal/publisher/institution states that one or more authors violated one or more of the journal/publisher/institution’s policy(ies). RW will use this reason when no other information about the correction/EOC/retraction is available (i.e., the notice only states that there was a breach of policy), or when the breach of policy (as an additional reason) cannot be addressed by existing reasons. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Cites Retracted Work | Definition changed to: Retracted content is used in citations or referencing. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Civil Proceedings | Definition changed to: Civil legal proceedings were instigated in response to the article and/or notice(s), or civil legal proceedings resulted in the correction/EOC/retraction/etc. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Complaints about Author | Definition changed to: Complaints about one or more authors in addition to concerns about the original article. RW may also use this reason for cases in which something about one or more authors is called into question following any notice, i.e., when complaints escalate to being entirely author-based. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Complaints about Company/Institution | Definition changed to: Complaints about one or more companies/institutions in addition to concerns about the original article. RW may also use this reason for cases in which something about one or more companies/institutions is called into question following any notice, i.e., when complaints escalate to being entirely company/institution-based. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Complaints about Third Party | Defintion changed to: Complaints about one or more third parties in addition to concerns about the original article. RW may also use this reason for cases in which something about one or more third parties is called into question following any notice, ie., when complaints escalate to being entirely third party-based. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Animal Welfare | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about any non-human test or study subject(s). |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Data | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about any of the data. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Human Subject Welfare | Definition changed to:Any question, controversy or dispute about any human test or study subject(s). |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Image | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about one or more images, or part(s) of one or more images. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Referencing/Attributions | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about references, citations, attributions, etc. This could include fabricated/falsified references, reference stacking, citing other work with an EOC or correction, etc. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Results | Name changed to: Concerns/Issues about Results and/or Conclusions |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues about Third Party Involvement | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about third party involvement. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Concerns/Issues with Peer Review | Definition changed to: The peer review was not performed solely through journal error, or there are problems with the peer review that are not covered under “Fake Peer Review”. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Conflict of Interest | Definition changed to: Any question, controversy or dispute about author(s), editor(s), any third party and/or peer reviewer(s) having affiliations with companies, associations or institutions that may serve to influence how they conduct their role in any part of the research and/or publication process(es). |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Contamination of Cell Lines/Tissues | Definition changed to: Impurities were found or suspected within cell lines or tissues. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Copyright Claims | Definiton changed to: Dispute concerning permissions or ownership of materials (equipment, cell lines, etc.), technologies, images, text, patents, etc. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Criminal Proceedings | Definition changed to: Criminal legal proceedings were instigated in response to the publication and/or notice(s), or criminal legal proceedings resulted in the correction/EOC/retraction/etc. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Date of Retraction/Other Unknown | Name amended and definition changed to: Date of Article and/or Notice Unknown: The article and/or notice do not have clear publication dates. RW may also use this reason when a publisher overwrites the original article’s HTML page with the notice, without changing the publication date to reflect the change. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Duplicate Publication through Error by Journal/Publisher | Name amended and definition changed to: Duplication of Content through Error by Journal/Publisher: Duplication of published content due to an error by the journal or publisher. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Duplication of Article | Name amended and definition changed to: Duplication of/in Article: Duplication of a published item, or undefined sections of it. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Duplication of Data | Definition changed to: Duplication of any of the data. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Duplication of Image | Named amended and definition changed to: Duplication of/in Image: Duplication of one or more images, or part(s) of one or more images. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Duplication of Text | Definition changed to: Duplication of any of the text. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | EOC Lifted | ‘Not to be confused with an “Upgraded to Retraction”‘ added to Definition |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error by Journal/Publisher | Definition changed to: An error attributed to a journal/publisher. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error by Third Party | Definition changed to: An error attributed to any third party. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Analyses | Definition changed to: One or more errors in the evaluation of any of the data or in any calculation(s). |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Cell Lines/Tissues | Definition changed to: One or more errors in the choice or identification of any of the cell lines or tissues. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Data | Definition changed to: One or more errors in any of the data. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Image | Definition changed to: One or more errors in one or more images, or part(s) of one or more images. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Materials (General) | Named amended and definition changed to: Error in Materials: One or more errors in one or more experimental materials. including reagents, mixing bowls, equipment or instrumentation. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Methods | Definition changed to: One or more errors in the choice of and/or implementation of experimental protocol(s). |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Results and/or Conclusions | Definition changed to: One or more errors in any of the results and/or the conclusions. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Error in Text | Definition changed to: One or more errors in any of the text. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Ethical Violations by Author | Definition changed to: When a journal/publisher/institution states that one or more authors have not met the journal/publisher/institution’s standards of publishing and/or research ethics. RW will use this reason when no other information about the correction/EOC/retraction is available (i.e., the notice only states that there was an ethical violation), or when the ethical violation (as an additional reason) cannot be addressed by existing reasons. |
| 2/28/2025 | Reasons | Ethical Violations by Third Party | Named amended and definition changed to: Ethical Violations by Company/Institution/Third Party: When a journal/publisher/institution states that one or more company(ies)/institution(s)/thirdparty(ies) have not met the journal/publisher/institution’s standards of publishing and/or research ethics. RW will use this reason when no other information about the correction/EOC/retraction is available (i.e., the notice only states that there was an ethical violation), or when the ethical violation (as an additional reason) cannot be addressed by existing reasons. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Euphemisms for Duplication | Definition changed to: The notice describes duplication of material without using the words “duplicate(d)” or “duplication.” |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Euphemisms for Misconduct | Definition changed to: The notice does not explicitly state that the reason for the notice is due to misconduct, despite a journal, publisher, company, institution, government agency or author explicitly stating that there was misconduct. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Euphemisms for Plagiarism | Definition changed to: The notice describes plagiarism of material without using the words “plagiarize(d)” or “plagiarism.” |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | False Affiliation | Named amended and definition changed to: False/Forged Affiliation: The false/forged use of an affiliation/institutional name in the publication process. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Falsification/Fabrication of Data | Definition changed to: Falsification or fabrication of any data in order to mislead. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Falsification/Fabrication of Image | Definition changed to: Falsification or fabrication in/of one or more images, or part(s) of one or more images, in order to mislead. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Falsification/Fabrication of Results | Definition changed to: Falsification or fabrication of results in order to mislead. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Forged Authorship | Name amended and definition changed to: False/Forged Authorship: The false/forged use of one or more author names in the publication process. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Hoax Paper | Definition changed to: The paper was intentionally drafted with fabricated or falsified data or other content with the goal of testing a journal or publisher’s manuscript acceptance policies. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Informed/Patient Consent – None/Withdrawn | Definition changed to: When informed/patient consent documentation is deemed insufficient or is not available or the participant later disputes/withdraws their approval. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Investigation by Company/Institution | Definition changed to: An investigation by the company/institution listed as the affiliation of one or more authors. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Investigation by Journal/Publisher | Definition changed to: An investigation by the journal/publisher of the article |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Investigation by ORI | Definition changed to: An investigation by the United States Office of Research Integrity (ORI). |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Investigation by Third Party | Definition changed to: An investigation by any third party that is not the United States Office of Research Integrity (ORI). |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Lack of Approval from Author | Definition changed to: One or more authors did not approve one or more parts of the research or publication process(es). RW also uses this reason if the notice mentions a lack of documentation of alleged approval. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Lack of Approval from Company/Institution | Definition changed to: One or more companies/institutions did not approve one or more parts of the research or publication process(es). RW also uses this reason if the notice mentions a lack of documentation of alleged approval. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Lack of Approval from Third Party | Definition changed to: One or more third parties did not approve one or more parts of the research or publication process(es). RW also uses this reason if the notice mentions a lack of documentation of alleged approval. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Lack of IRB/IACUC Approval | Name amended and definition changed to: Lack of IRB/IACUC Approval and/or Compliance: Failure to obtain approval(s) and/or exemption(s) from the institutional ethical review board overseeing human or animal experimentation prior to starting a study, or failure to follow the approved protocol(s), or failure to provide documentation of approval(s) and/or exemption(s). |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Legal Reasons/Legal Threats | Name amended and definition changed to: Legal Reasons and/or Threats: When a journal/publisher/author/third party uses the phrase “legal reasons,” documents litigation or legal threats, or mentions one or more specific laws |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Manipulation of Data | Definition changed to: Addition of the reason: Manipulation of Data: Manipulation of any data. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Manipulation of Images | Definition changed to: Manipulation of one or more images, or part(s) of one or more images. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Manipulation of Results | Definition changed to: Manipulation of any results. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Miscommunication by Author | Name amended and definition changed to: Miscommunication with/by Author: One or more authors misunderstood one or more parts of a message sent to and/or from one or more authors. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Miscommunication by Company/Institution | Name amended and definition changed to: Miscommunication with/by Company/Institution: One or more companies/institutions misunderstood one or more parts of a message sent to and/or from one or more companies/institutions. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Miscommunication by Journal/Publisher | Name amended and definition changed to: Miscommunication with/by Journal/Publisher: One or more journals/publishers misunderstood one or more parts of a message sent to and/or from one or more journals/publishers. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Miscommunication by Third Party | Name amended and definition changed to: Miscommunication with/by Third Party: One or more third parties misunderstood one or more parts of a message sent to and/or from one or more third parties. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Misconduct – Official Investigation/Finding | Name amended and definition changed to: Misconduct – Official Investigation(s) and/or Finding(s): An investigation by an incorporated company, institution or government agency into misconduct allegations (founded or unfounded) and/or the finding(s) of misconduct by an incorporated company, institution or government agency. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Misconduct by Author | Definition changed to: Statement by journal, publisher, company, institution, government agency or author that one or more authors committed misconduct. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Misconduct by Company/Institution | Definition changed to: Statement by journal, publisher, company, institution, government agency or author that one or more companies/institutions committed misconduct. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Misconduct by Third Party | Definition changed to: Statement by journal, publisher, company, institution, government agency or author that one or more third party(ies) committed misconduct. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | No Further Action | Definition changed to: The journal or publisher has stated that no further action will be taken. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Nonpayment of Fees/Refusal to Pay | Name amended and definition changed to: Nonpayment of Fees and/or Refusal to Pay: Fees for services, licenses or access were not paid and/or completed, and/or there was a refusal to pay fees. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Not Presented at Conference | Definition added: The paper/abstract/poster was not presented at the conference for which it was accepted. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Notice – Lack of | Definition changed to: No notice was published by the journal or publisher. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Notice – Limited or No Information | Definition changed to: The notice provides minimal or no information about the cause for correction, concern or retraction. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Notice – Unable to Access via Current Resources | Definition changed to: The notice is paywalled by the journal/publisher, only available in print or is in some form unavailable for inspection. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Objections by Author(s) | Definition changed to: One or more authors objected to the notice or the wording of the notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Objections by Company/Institution | Definition changed to: One or more companies/institutions objected to the notice or the wording of the notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Objections by Third Party | Definition changed to: One or more third parties objected to the notice or the wording of the notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Original Data not Provided | Name amended and Definition changed to: Original Data and/or Images not Provided and/or not Available: The original data or images for the published study are no longer available or were not given to the editorial staff. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Paper Mill | Definition changed to: When a journal/publisher/institution states that a paper came from a paper mill or the paper is in a list of paper mill papers. RW may also use this reason to reflect that RW has identified multiple paper mill criteria applying to this paper. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Plagiarism of Article | Name amended and Definition changed to: Plagiarism of/in Article: Plagiarism of a published item, or undefined sections of it. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Plagiarism of Data | Definition changed to: Plagiarism of any of the data. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Plagiarism of Image | Definition changed to: Plagiarism of one or more images. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Plagiarism of Text | Definition changed to: Plagiarism of any of the text. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Publishing Ban | Definition changed to: When a journal/publisher states that no manuscripts will be accepted from one or more authors of the original article. Bans could be for a limited time or indefinitely. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Results not Reproducible | Definition changed to: When repetition(s) of experiment(s), using the same materials and methods, failed to replicate the results in the original article. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Retract and Replace | Definition changed to: The change of an item’s status reflecting that a retracted item will be replaced with a new publication in the same journal. The journal has indicated that the replacement should be cited as the version of record. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Rogue Editor | Definition changed to: Used when an editor’s credentials are false/forged or when an editor subverts one or more processes under their purview. An “editor” may be an established editor affiliated with the journal or a guest editor. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Sabotage of Materials | Name amended and Definition changed to: Sabotage of Materials/Methods: An intentional action by a third party, without the researchers’ knowledge or consent, to sabotage or contaminate experimental ingredients or processes in order to influence experimental outcome(s). |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Sabotage of Methods | Deleted, and combined with Sabotage of Materials |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Salami Slicing | Definition changed to: The publication of several articles using the same dataset by breaking it into sections, with the intent of exploiting a limited data set for the production of several published works. This does not apply to large multi-group studies such as the Framingham Heart Study. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Taken via Translation | Definition changed to: The duplicated or plagiarized content was created via a translation from one language to another. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Taken via Peer Review | Definition changed to: The duplicated or plagiarized content was taken during the peer review process. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Taken from Dissertation/Thesis | Definition changed to: The duplicated or plagiarized content was taken from an academic dissertation or thesis. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Temporary Removal | Definition changed to: The original article is removed from the journal’s publishing platform and the notice states the removal will be for an undefined period of time. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Transfer of Copyright/Ownership | Name amended and definition changed to: Transfer of Copyright and/or Ownership: A change in the copyright and/or ownership of the article or any of its content. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Unreliable Data | Definition changed to: Any of the data is unreliable. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Unreliable Image | Definition changed to: One or more images, or part(s) of one or more images, are unreliable. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Unreliable Results | Definition changed to: Any of the results and/or conclusions are unreliable. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Updated to Correction | Definition changed to: The article has a correction after this notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Updated to Expression of Concern | Name and definition added: Updated to Expression of Concern: The article has an expression of concern after this notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Updated to Retraction | Definition changed to: The article has a retraction after this notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Upgrade/Update of Prior Notice | Name amended and definition changed to: Upgrade/Update of Prior Notice(s): At least one prior notice for the article has been upgraded or updated with this notice. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Withdrawn (out of date) | Name amended and definition changed to: Withdrawn as Out of Date: The article has been retracted as part of a journal’s process of keeping guidelines or reviews current for professional use. |
| 02/28/2025 | Reasons | Withdrawn to Publish in Different Journal | Definition changed to: The article was taken from one journal/platform or access type to be published in a different journal/platform or with a different access type. |
| 03/06/2025 | Reasons | Unreliable Results | Name amended and definition changed to: Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions: Any of the results and/or conclusions are unreliable. |