IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/metaar/26zag_v1.html

Computer-generated content as a structural cause of journal retractions, 2020–2026

Author

Listed:
  • Sokolov, Anton

Abstract

Retractions reveal failures the record otherwise hides. In 2012, a landmark PNAS study showed that misconduct, not error, accounted for most retracted papers. This Brief Report updates that signal for the generative AI era. Using Retraction Watch records through May 2026, it shows that retractions tagged as computer-aided or computer-generated content did not disappear after the 2023 Hindawi cleanup. In 2025, with the Hindawi contribution at zero, the AI-content share of all retractions remained at one-quarter (23.6%), from other publishers. The finding matters because it separates a one-publisher event from a wider publishing-system condition that researchers, editors, and funders should recognize: computer-generated content is now a durable documented cause of retraction, not merely an artifact of a single publisher's record.

Suggested Citation

  • Sokolov, Anton, 2026. "Computer-generated content as a structural cause of journal retractions, 2020–2026," MetaArXiv 26zag_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:metaar:26zag_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/26zag_v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/6a18342712f90f6dfa1c17b1/
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/26zag_v1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fang Lei & Liang Du & Min Dong & Xuemei Liu, 2024. "Global retractions due to randomly generated content: Characterization and trends," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(12), pages 7943-7958, December.
    2. Holly Else, 2023. "Multimillion-dollar trade in paper authorships alarms publishers," Nature, Nature, vol. 613(7945), pages 617-618, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dirk Holtbrügge, 2025. "Ethical Issues in International Business Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 65(6), pages 981-1013, December.
    2. Han, Fang & Ren, Yanqing & Zhang, Ruhao & Feng, Lingzi & Wang, Lixue & Yuan, Junpeng, 2025. "Drivers and penalties of retraction: An empirical study of Chinese medical researchers," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:osf:metaar:26zag_v1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.