Retraction Analysis in Social Media Research: A Scopus Based Data From 2011 to 2025

Social media has significantly impacted communication and information flow, making it a key academic topic today. As the field grows, the number of retractions has increased. This study aims to identify trends in research ethics by examining the bibliometric characteristics of retracted social media-related papers.

This descriptive study examined publications in the Scopus database labeled with "social media" and categorized under the "Retracted" document category. The study language was restricted to English, no time constraints were imposed, and all records from the initial retracted publication through 2025 were included. Distributions by country, institution, journal, author, keyword, year, and reasons for retraction were evaluated.

A total of 141 retracted papers were detected. No significant increase in publication counts was detected from 2011 to 2025 (P = 0.053); however, a statistically significant rise in retraction numbers was identified (P = 0.008). The majority of retractions originated predominantly in Asia, particularly in China and India. The predominant retraction reason was "Investigation by Journal/Publisher" (n = 92). This was followed by "Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions" (n = 65) and "Concerns/Issues Regarding Referencing/Attributions" (n = 61).

The findings reveal a significant increase in retractions within social media research, particularly in the 2020s. Retractions concentrated in certain countries and journals, primarily due to editorial investigation, suspicious results, and concerns related to referencing. The results underscore the field's persistent methodological and ethical challenges. Enhancing research integrity, editorial oversight, and transparency is crucial for mitigating ethical risks and improving the scientific reliability of future social media research.