A comprehensive analysis of self-corrected publications in the imaging literature

The characteristics of self-corrected publications have not been fully evaluated.

To evaluate the annual number and characteristics of self-corrected publications in the imaging literature within the last 20 years.

We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed) using the following keyword: ("Published Erratum" [Publication Type] OR "Corrected and Republished Article" [Publication Type]) in the imaging literature to identify all self-corrected publications in which initial versions of articles were published during 1999-2018. Extracted data included: date of publication of the original version; date of correction notification; the time interval between initial publication and correction; journal name; journal impact factor (IF); type of articles; number of authors; country of origin; and location of errors. Journals were divided into four quartiles (Q1-Q4) based on their IF.

A total of 1071 self-corrected publications were identified, representing 0.30% of all papers published in the imaging literature. Trend analysis showed exponential growth of the number and rate of self-corrected publications during 1999-2018. The median (range) time interval from initial publication to correction was 120 days (0-7755 days). The rate of self-corrected publications in Q4 journals (0.17%) was significantly lower than those in Q1 (0.35%, P<0.0001), Q2 (0.26%, P=0.0007), and Q3 (0.30%, P<0.0001) journals. Additionally, 80.8% of self-corrected publications were original articles, 29.2% were from the USA, and 30.7% were corrected for author information (name, affiliation, and email address).

Self-corrected publications in the imaging literature have increased exponentially during 1999-2018 and author information was the most common location of error correction.