Citation Analysis and Reasons for Retraction in Middle Eastern Countries

This study aims to analyze the retracted publications of Middle Eastern countries through citation analysis, lag-time between publication and retraction, and exploring the reasons for retraction.

Data was gathered by the document method and analyzing data was done by bibliometric analysis. Data were collected from the core collection of the Web of Science.

The research findings suggest an increasing trend in the number of retracted papers from Middle Eastern countries. Also, the results of Kendall's τ coefficient showed that the total number of publications is significantly related to the number of retracted papers. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant difference between the total number of citations and the four quartiles (i.e. Q1-Q4), and according to the average ranks, the journals of the first (Q1) and second (Q2) quartiles had received the highest number of total citations. Furthermore, the results of this test between quartiles and citations before and after retraction showed that there was a significant difference between different quartiles in citations after retraction, and the journals of the first (Q1) and second (Q2) quartiles received the most citations. In addition, there was a significant difference in the number of citations before retraction between different quartiles, and the highest average rank was related to the journals of the second quartile (Q2) and the first quartile (Q1), respectively. The highest number of retracted papers has been published in Bahrain. Based on the proportion of citations to each document, the highest proportion belonged to Israel. Also, the countries of Cyprus, Kuwait, Israel, and Iraq have the highest average time between publication and retraction, and Iran ranks ninth. In addition, it should be noted that the two countries of Oman and Jordan, which are ranked 14th and 15th respectively, each had only one retracted paper. In addition, the highest number of retracted papers and research misconduct was related to the field of biological sciences and biomedicine. The countries of Cyprus, Kuwait, and Israel had the longest time interval between publication and retraction. In all Middle Eastern countries, most papers were retracted due to research misconduct such as plagiarism and Redundant publication.

The results show that in the present era, it should be noted that citation is not a sufficient reason for the quality of the work while using previous studies, because many citations received by the works are not valid enough. Journal editors and database administrators should take measures to prevent authoritative citations to these works. Also, examining the status of retracted papers based on citations, the time interval between publication and retraction in different subject areas showed that the highest numbers of retracted papers were related to the field of biological sciences and biomedicine. Furthermore, the longest distance between publication and retraction, the largest number of citations, and the most citations received after retraction belonged to this field. It can be seen that there are three very effective factors in spreading the negative impact of retraction papers in the field of biological sciences and biomedicine. This result means that the required time for retraction in this area is longer than in other areas, and this can have damaging consequences. The longer the lifespan of flawed research, the higher the price the scientific community must pay. It is very important to carry out detailed judgments and demand raw data and files related to data analysis in a mandatory manner, especially on issues related to public health. Using retracted papers and citing them has many adverse effects. These effects are doubled when the citations are made after retraction and the citation is made in one of the medical fields. In this regard, arrangements should be made to properly inform others about the retraction status of paper in sensitive scientific fields such as the medical field. Correspondingly, all original versions of the paper that may have been published on the journal's website, the author's resume, or social networks will be completely removed.