Against "silent" retractions in neuroscience

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Scholarly Publishing
• Scientific Ethics

Background:

• Academic papers with Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are expected to follow established protocols for corrections and retractions.
• Journals claiming adherence to Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines should uphold transparency in their editorial processes.
• Opaque retraction practices can undermine the reliability of scientific literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight a case of silent retractions in a new, open-access neuroscience journal.
• To examine the implications of non-transparent retraction policies on the neuroscience community.
• To advocate for transparent retraction procedures in academic publishing.

Main Methods:

• Case study analysis of a specific neuroscience journal.
• Review of journal policies and retraction practices.
• Discussion of the impact of silent retractions on scientific literature.

Main Results:

• A neuroscience journal, claiming COPE compliance, silently retracted two papers by removing all associated records and files.
• This practice deviates from standard protocols for scientific corrections and retractions.
• The silent removal of retractions poses a risk to the integrity of the neuroscience literature.

Conclusions:

• Transparent retraction is crucial for maintaining trust and accuracy in scientific publishing.
• Silent retractions, even in open-access journals, can negatively impact the neuroscience research community.
• Adherence to ethical publishing standards, including transparent retractions, is essential for scientific progress.