Retraction of papers authored by Yuhji Saitoh – Beyond the Fujii phenomenon

Abstract

Background and Aims: Various aspects of retracted articles authored by Yoshitaka Fujii and their retraction notices have been examined. Yuhji Saitoh has coauthored many articles with Yoshitaka Fujii which were subsequently retracted. Japanese Society of Anesthesiology (JSA) recommends retraction of various articles by Yuhji Saitoh, but various attributes of those and their retraction notices have not been examined. Methods: A list of retracted articles was retrieved from PubMed, Retraction Watch Database and relevant journals. Their retraction notices were obtained from the journal's webpage. Predefined characteristics of the retracted articles and their retraction notices were evaluated against those proposed by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Results: Fifteen such articles were retracted. Two of them were not identified as retracted in the journal webpage. Half of the papers mentioned by JSA are yet to be retracted. Among those retracted, only 13.3% retraction notices were in line with the guidelines published by the COPE. Two retracted articles are yet to be flagged as retracted in PubMed. The median (interquartile range) time required for retraction from the date of declaration of being eligible for retraction is 14 (3) months. Data were analysed with Microsoft Excel™ (2007). Conclusion: Even after more than 1 year of recommendation, many articles containing evidence of scientific misconduct are yet to be retracted. Among those retracted, the relevant authority failed to follow the prevalent and well-regarded standards of ethics in scholarly publication.

Retracted articles in the biomedical literature from Indian authors

“…Wray and Andersen ( 2018 ) found that more than 50% of retractions were due to errors in the journal Science . Saikia and Thakuria ( 2019 ) examined the various aspects of retracted articles authored by Yoshitaka Fujii. McHugh and Yentis ( 2019 ) analyzed how long been taken for retraction of papers authored by Scott Reuben, Joachim Boldt and Yoshitaka Fujii.…”

Characteristics of retracted editorial articles in the biomedical literature

“…Examining the retractions has been of growing interest in recent times. Aspura et al ( 2018 ), Bhatt ( 2021 ), Campos-Varela et al ( 2020 ), Elango et al ( 2019 ), Moradi et al ( 2018 ), Rubbo et al ( 2019 ), Samuel et al ( 2020 ), Saikia and Thakuria ( 2019 ), and Wray and Andersen ( 2018 ) are examples of such investigations. These studies are focused on a single country or discipline or journal or author.…”

How to avoid the violation of ethics in research and publication?

“…In this highly competitive world of "publish or perish," we happen to violate research and publication ethics quite a number of times knowingly or unknowingly. Hence, in the race for promotion, let us not do something that can lead to the retraction of the publication and a lifetime of regrets [3][4][5][6] . For a scientific journal, it is essential to follow the ethical principles in scientific publications to maintain the readers' trust and to uphold its reputation 7 .…”

“…Research misconduct can take place at any stage of research continuum, from proposal writing to publication 8 . The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), World Medical Association (WMA), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Retraction Watch, and the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) are few of the prominent organisations that have taken many initiatives, and formed guidelines to maintain the highest ethical conduct in research and publication 3,[8][9][10][11] . The simplest way to avoid violating the ethical principles is to understand what they constitute and mean.…”