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Retractions in the Middle East from 1999 to 2018: a bibliometric analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Wenjun Liu

    (Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

  • Lei Lei

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Abstract

This study investigated the retractions of academic research in the Middle East in the past two decades from a bibliometric perspective. A total of 563 retractions in the Middle East were identified in the examined span of time. Results showed that both the numbers of publications and retractions in the Middle East increased significantly in the past two decades. It was also found that 79.21% of the retractions were due to misconducts, of which plagiarism accounted for the largest proportion. In addition, the number of retractions by authors from a certain country accounted for almost half of all retractions. Last, most retractions were in medicine-related disciplines. Based on the results, we proposed suggestions to address the issue. Particularly, we suggest the use of technology in article submission systems as well as enhanced education on academic integrity to help address the issue of academic misconduct.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenjun Liu & Lei Lei, 2021. "Retractions in the Middle East from 1999 to 2018: a bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 4687-4700, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:126:y:2021:i:6:d:10.1007_s11192-021-03919-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-021-03919-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Daniele Fanelli, 2009. "How Many Scientists Fabricate and Falsify Research? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survey Data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(5), pages 1-11, May.
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    5. Judit Bar-Ilan & Gali Halevi, 2018. "Temporal characteristics of retracted articles," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(3), pages 1771-1783, September.
    6. Zhang, Han & Patton, Donald & Kenney, Martin, 2013. "Building global-class universities: Assessing the impact of the 985 Project," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 765-775.
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