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Scientists should get credit for correcting the literature

Nature Human Behaviour volume 7, page 472 (2023)Cite this article

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To the Editor — The research landscape is changing, with a sharper focus on “the credibility of the published literature”1. Credibility is highly reliant on the self-correction of science, and, in this context, self-correction by authors plays a crucial role. Of course, retractions — especially self-retractions — are far from black and white (for example, ranging from malfeasance to good-faith corrections of the research record). However, it is time to reinforce that retractions are not just for research misconduct; instead, they are a valuable tool for correcting honest errors in the research record2. What is missing are incentives for self-retractions, to counter historically negative perceptions. In brief, it is time to tackle the question: how should good-faith self-retractions be embraced in the assessment of researchers?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Science Education Program, Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis (IBqM), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Mariana D. Ribeiro & Sonia M. R. Vasconcelos

  2. Research Ethics Program, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, US

    Michael Kalichman

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  1. Mariana D. Ribeiro
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  2. Michael Kalichman
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  3. Sonia M. R. Vasconcelos
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Correspondence to Sonia M. R. Vasconcelos.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ribeiro, M.D., Kalichman, M. & Vasconcelos, S.M.R. Scientists should get credit for correcting the literature. Nat Hum Behav 7, 472 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01415-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01415-6

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