Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Number of retracted papers in different types of universities_
| Type | Number of universities | Percentage of universities | Number of retracted papers | Percentage of retracted papers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project 985 universities | 39 | 1.2% | 451 | 43.7% |
| Project 211 universities | 112 | 3.6% | 78 | 7.6% |
| General universities | 3,012 | 95.2% | 502 | 48.7% |
Reasons for retractions_
| Reasons | Numbers | Percentage of reasons |
|---|---|---|
| Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 255 | 22.29% |
| Invalid Data/Images/Conclusions | 212 | 18.53% |
| Fake Peer Review | 175 | 15.30% |
| Honesty Error | 163 | 14.25% |
| Data/Image Manipulation | 79 | 6.91% |
| Data/Image Reuse | 54 | 4.72% |
| Duplicate Publication | 46 | 4.02% |
| No Explanation Given | 43 | 3.76% |
| Submit without the Consent of the Co-authors | 37 | 3.23% |
| Violation of Research Ethics | 26 | 2.27% |
| Unrepeatable Results | 17 | 1.49% |
| Data Infringement | 14 | 1.22% |
| Authorship Dispute/Other Dispute | 10 | 0.87% |
| Paper Mill | 5 | 0.44% |
| Publisher’s Error | 3 | 0.26% |
| Cite Retracted Publication | 3 | 0.26% |
| Conflict not Declared | 2 | 0.17% |
University-affiliated hospitals with the highest numbers of retracted articles_
| Affiliations | No. of papers | Percentage of affiliations | The Most Frequently Reasons | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiangya Hospital of Central South University | 48 | 11.37% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 38 |
| The First Hospital of Jilin University | 31 | 7.35% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 13 |
| Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University | 24 | 5.69% | Fake Peer Review | 24 |
| The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University | 24 | 5.69% | Data Manipulation | 5 |
| Qilu Hospital of Shandong University | 23 | 5.45% | Honesty Error | 8 |
| China Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University | 23 | 5.45% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 6 |
| Huaihe Hospital of Henan University | 18 | 4.27% | Invalid Data/Images/Conclusions | 7 |
| The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University | 16 | 3.79% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 7 |
| Shandong Provincial Hospital | 16 | 3.79% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 5 |
| The Second Hospital of Jilin University | 16 | 3.79% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 9 |
Journals with the highest numbers of retracted articles_
| Journal Titles | Number | Percentage of journal |
|---|---|---|
| European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences | 114 | 11.06% |
| Tumor Biology | 82 | 7.95% |
| RSC Advances | 45 | 4.36% |
| Molecular Medicine Reports | 34 | 3.30% |
| Molecular Biology Reports | 27 | 2.62% |
| Oncology Reports | 25 | 2.42% |
| Molecular Neurobiology | 24 | 2.33% |
| Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy | 19 | 1.84% |
| Cancer Management and Research | 19 | 1.84% |
| Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine | 18 | 1.75% |
| Oncology Letters | 17 | 1.65% |
| European Journal of Medical Research | 14 | 1.36% |
| Plos One | 13 | 1.26% |
| Cancer Cell International | 13 | 1.26% |
| Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications | 12 | 1.16% |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research | 12 | 1.16% |
| Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research | 11 | 1.07% |
| International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine | 11 | 1.07% |
Disciplines with the highest numbers of retracted articles_
| Research Fields | Numbers | Percentage of research fields | The Most Frequently Reasons | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oncology | 320 | 22% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 85 |
| Pharmacology & Pharmacy | 198 | 14% | Invalid Data/Images/Conclusions | 75 |
| Research & Experimental Medicine | 166 | 12% | Honesty Error | 28 |
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | 103 | 7% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 26 |
| Neurosciences & Neurology | 84 | 6% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 29 |
| Cell Biology | 71 | 5% | Honesty Error | 30 |
| Chemistry | 70 | 5% | Data/Image Manipulation | 34 |
| Pathology | 29 | 2% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 8 |
| Surgery | 27 | 2% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 10 |
| Immunology | 26 | 2% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 6 |
| Science & Technology - Other Topics | 26 | 2% | Invalid Data/Images/Conclusions | 7 |
| Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | 22 | 2% | Honesty Error | 5 |
| Genetics & Heredity | 23 | 2% | Honesty Error | 5 |
| Cardiovascular System & Cardiology | 19 | 1% | Duplicate Publication | 5 |
| Biophysics | 17 | 1% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 10 |
| General & Internal Medicine | 17 | 1% | No Explanation Given | 5 |
| Orthopedics | 17 | 1% | Fake Peer Review | 7 |
| Gastroenterology & Hepatology | 12 | 1% | Plagiarism/Self-Plagiarism | 6 |
| Respiratory System | 11 | 1% | No Explanation Given | 3 |
| Physiology | 10 | 1% | Honesty Error | 5 |