The politicization of retraction

The retraction of flawed scientific journal articles is one of the most important means by which science "self-corrects." The prevailing consensus is that retraction is appropriate only when the reported findings are unreliable due to research misconduct or honest errors, ethical violations have occurred, or there are legal concerns about the article. Recently, however, retractions seem to be occurring for political reasons. This trend is exemplified by recent editorial guidance from Nature and Human Behavior which advises the retraction of works that risk significant harm to members of certain social groups. This commentary argues that while "political" retractions may be appropriate in rare cases, retraction is typically not the best means to address potentially harmful research. The politicization of retraction risks harm to science in general as it may further undermine diminishing public trust in science and may encourage scientists to self-censor their work, leading to the under-exploration of some important scientific issues.