RefveraRetracted papers: how to check before you cite
When a published paper turns out to be seriously flawed – fabricated data, duplicated images, plagiarism or an honest error that undermines the result – the journal can retract it. The paper usually stays online, marked as retracted, so the scholarly record stays complete.
The problem is that retracted papers keep being cited, often for years. Many of those citations come from authors who simply did not know.
Why it matters for you
Citing a retracted paper as if it were valid weakens your argument and suggests the reference list was not checked. In a thesis, a grant application or a report, it can raise questions about the rest of the work.
How to check
Look at the landing page. Publishers mark retracted articles, usually with a banner and a linked retraction notice. Some add "RETRACTED:" to the title.
Search the Retraction Watch database. Retraction Watch keeps the largest public database of retractions. Since 2023 it has been part of Crossref and openly available.
Check your whole list at once. Refvera flags references marked as retracted in Crossref or OpenAlex, with a warning next to the source, so you do not have to look up each paper by hand.
If a source has been retracted
Do not just delete it quietly if your argument depends on it. Find out why it was retracted, look for newer work on the same question, and if you still need to mention the paper, cite it as retracted. That is honest and shows you know the field.