Characterizing the effect of retractions on publishing careers

TL;DR

This study investigates how paper retractions influence authors' careers, revealing that early-career authors are more adversely affected and retractions impact collaboration patterns and career trajectories.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of retraction effects on authors' career dynamics using extensive datasets, highlighting impacts beyond citation metrics.

Findings

Retracted authors with less experience often leave publishing after retraction.

Authors who remain active tend to establish more collaborations post-retraction.

Retractions disproportionately affect early-career authors' career progression.

Abstract

Retracting academic papers is a fundamental tool of quality control, but it may have far-reaching consequences for retracted authors and their careers. Previous studies have highlighted the adverse effects of retractions on citation counts and coauthors' citations; however, the broader impacts beyond these have not been fully explored. We address this gap leveraging Retraction Watch, the most extensive data set on retractions and link it to Microsoft Academic Graph and Altmetric. Retracted authors, particularly those with less experience, often leave scientific publishing in the aftermath of retraction, especially if their retractions attract widespread attention. However, retracted authors who remain active in publishing maintain and establish more collaborations compared to their similar non-retracted counterparts. Nevertheless, retracted authors generally retain less senior and less productive coauthors, but gain more impactful coauthors post-retraction. Our findings suggest that retractions may impose a disproportionate impact on early-career authors.