Retractions in Rheumatology: Trends, Causes, and Implications for Research Integrity

We aimed to describe the trends and main reasons for study retraction in rheumatology literature.

We reviewed the Retraction Watch database to identify retracted articles in rheumatology. We recorded the main study characteristics, authors' countries, reasons for retraction, time from publication to retraction, and trends over time. Reasons for retraction were classified as scientific misconduct, data/figure errors, or other reasons. Main article features and cause of retractions in rheumatology were compared with a sample of articles from other medical specialties.

A total of 381 (79.5% original articles) rheumatology articles were retracted between 1989 and 2024. Most originated from Asia (68.5%), particularly China (50.7%). Scientific misconduct accounted for 75.3% of retractions, followed by data errors (14.9%) and other reasons (7.6%). Common misconduct types included data fabrication, fake peer review, duplication, and authorship issues. The median time from publication to retraction was 18 months (interquartile range 9-46), with one-third of articles requiring more than 36 months to be retracted. Time to retraction did not improve over time. The number of retractions steadily increased over time from 18 in 2000-2009, 117 in 2010-2019, and 207 in 2020-2023 (P < 0.001). Compared with other medical specialties, rheumatology exhibited similar retraction patterns, differing mainly in geographic distribution.

Retractions in rheumatology have risen substantially, largely due to misconduct. This trend may reflect an increase in questionable research practices or improved detection. Strengthening early-career education, institutional oversight, and ethical research culture is essential to enhance transparency and integrity in the field.