What to Do If You Cited a Retracted Article in Your Paper: A Complete Guide (2026)

Discovering that you have cited a retracted article in your research paper can feel alarming — but it is more common than most researchers realize, and there are clear, well-established steps you can take to protect both your work and your professional reputation. According to the Retraction Watch Database, more than 63,000 articles have been retracted to date, with over 10,000 retractions recorded in 2023 alone. Studies consistently show that fewer than 5% of post-retraction citations actually acknowledge the retracted status of the paper. Whether your manuscript is still in progress, under peer review, or already published, this comprehensive guide walks you through exactly what to do, how to assess the damage, and how to prevent this situation in the future.

What Does It Mean When an Article Is Retracted?

A retraction is a formal mechanism through which the scientific community removes an article from the literature because its findings are considered unreliable. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) defines retractions as tools for correcting the literature and alerting readers to articles containing seriously flawed or erroneous content whose findings and conclusions cannot be relied upon.

It is essential to distinguish retractions from other types of post-publication corrections. An erratum is issued when a publisher-introduced error needs correction — typically a formatting or typesetting issue. A corrigendum corrects errors made by the authors that do not invalidate the overall conclusions. An expression of concern is issued when editors have unresolved questions about an article’s integrity but have not yet reached a final determination. A retraction, by contrast, indicates a fundamental problem that renders the entire article unreliable.

Common reasons for retraction include data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, serious methodological errors, unreproducible results, ethical violations (such as failure to obtain informed consent), and authorship disputes. According to research indexed in PubMed (Bolland et al., 2021; DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2021.1886933), the citation of retracted publications remains a widespread and challenging problem in the biomedical literature.

How Do You Find Out That a Paper You Cited Has Been Retracted?

Many researchers discover the retraction of a cited paper only by accident — through a colleague’s comment, a reviewer’s objection, or an automated alert. Fortunately, several tools and databases now exist to help researchers proactively screen their reference lists.

Publisher and Database Notifications. When a journal retracts an article, it typically issues a formal retraction notice, adds the word “RETRACTED” to the article title on its website, and watermarks the PDF. Major indexing services like PubMed tag retracted articles in their records and link to the retraction notice. CrossMark, a service by Crossref, allows readers to check an article’s current status by clicking the CrossMark icon.

Retraction Watch Database. The Retraction Watch Database, now maintained in partnership with Crossref, is the largest and most comprehensive database of retracted articles, cataloguing over 63,000 retractions with detailed reasons and timestamps.

Zotero with Retraction Watch Integration. The open-source reference manager Zotero automatically checks your personal library against the Retraction Watch Database. Retracted papers are flagged in the items list, and if you try to cite one using Zotero’s word processor plugin, you receive a warning before the citation is inserted.

Scite.ai Reference Check. Scite.ai offers a Reference Check tool that scans your manuscript for references to retracted papers, as well as papers with expressions of concern, corrections, or disputed findings.

RetractoBot. This automated system emails authors when articles they have cited in their published work are subsequently retracted, making it a valuable passive monitoring tool.

Step-by-Step: What to Do After Discovering You Cited a Retracted Article

The actions you need to take depend on two critical factors: the role the retracted paper plays in your own research, and the current publication stage of your manuscript. Here is a systematic, six-step approach.

Step 1: Assess the Impact on Your Paper’s Conclusions

The first and most important question is whether the retracted reference affects the conclusions of your own work. As Elizabeth Wager, former chair of COPE, has explained, for original research articles, most cited works provide background context and do not directly affect the new findings being presented.

You should evaluate the role of the retracted reference at three levels of severity. If the retracted paper was cited only as background or context in your introduction, the impact is low — your own conclusions are unaffected, though you should still replace or acknowledge the retraction. If the retracted paper provided key supporting evidence for your methodology or a core argument, the impact is moderate — you need to find alternative supporting references and may need to revise the affected sections. If the retracted paper was an included study in a systematic review or meta-analysis, the impact is critical — your results may fundamentally change, and a re-analysis is likely necessary.

Step 2: Understand Why the Article Was Retracted

The reason for retraction matters considerably when determining your course of action. Read the retraction notice carefully — it should be available on the journal’s website, linked from the original article’s page.

If the paper was retracted for data fabrication or fraud, none of the findings can be considered reliable, and the citation must be removed or replaced. If the retraction was due to plagiarism or duplicate publication, the underlying data may still be valid, but the specific article is not a proper source — look for the original source. If the retraction was due to honest errors in methodology or analysis, consider whether the specific data point you cited was affected. If the retraction resulted from authorship disputes or ethical violations unrelated to the data itself, the scientific content might be valid, but the article is formally unreliable as a citable source.

Step 3: Determine Your Paper’s Publication Stage and Act Accordingly

If your manuscript is still in preparation: This is the simplest scenario. Remove the retracted citation and replace it with an alternative, reliable source. Search PubMed, Google Scholar, or OpenAlex for papers that support the same claim.

If your manuscript is under peer review: Contact the journal editor immediately. Explain that you have discovered one of your references has been retracted, propose a replacement reference, and submit a revised version.

If your paper has already been published: Contact the journal editor to discuss the situation. In most cases, the appropriate response is to issue a corrigendum (correction notice) that explains the retracted citation has been identified, clarifies whether it affects your conclusions, and provides a replacement reference. For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, you may need to rerun your analysis without the retracted study and publish a correction with updated results.

Step 4: Find Replacement References

When searching for replacement references, start by checking the reference list of the retracted article itself — the original sources it cited may contain the data or findings you need. Search PubMed, Scholar databases, or OpenAlex using the key concepts from the retracted paper. Verify that any replacement reference is itself not retracted by running it through Retraction Watch or Zotero.

Step 5: Contact the Journal Editor

If your paper is published or under review, you need to notify the journal. Here is a professional template you can adapt:

Step 6: Issue a Correction If Needed

The type of correction depends on the impact. For background citations with no impact on conclusions, a simple corrigendum noting the retracted status and providing a replacement reference is usually sufficient. For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, COPE guidelines indicate that a re-analysis excluding the retracted study is necessary, with updated results published as a correction or, if findings change substantially, a new version of the review.

When Is It Acceptable to Cite a Retracted Article?

While the default rule is to avoid citing retracted papers, there are legitimate circumstances where citing one is not only acceptable but necessary. According to COPE guidance and advice from Retraction Watch, you may cite a retracted article when you are writing about the retraction itself as a case study in research integrity, when discussing how flawed research influenced a field and was later corrected, when the retracted paper inspired your research and you wish to acknowledge that intellectual lineage, or when analyzing trends in scientific misconduct or retraction patterns.

The critical requirement in all these scenarios is transparency. You must clearly indicate in both the text and the reference list that the article has been retracted. Best practice is to cite both the original article and the retraction notice, which typically have different DOIs.

How to Format Retracted Article Citations by Style Guide

The Real-World Impact of Citing Retracted Papers

Citing retracted papers carries tangible risks to your research credibility, your manuscript’s chances of acceptance, and in some cases, to patient safety and public health.

According to a landmark study by Szilagyi and colleagues examining the retracted publications of researcher Scott Reuben, whose 27 papers containing allegedly fabricated data were cited in over 25 systematic reviews, only 40% of the 420 citations accumulated over a 10-year period acknowledged the retracted status.

According to PubMed (Bolland et al., 2021; DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2021.1886933), of 6,926 references to publications with integrity concerns, 57% already had a published concern at the time of citation, yet very few citing publications assessed whether the retracted citation affected their own findings. COPE has explicitly stated that systematic reviews and meta-analyses that relied on retracted articles in reaching their own conclusions may themselves need to be corrected or retracted.

How to Prevent Citing Retracted Articles in the Future

Prevention is far simpler than correction. By incorporating a few systematic checks into your research workflow, you can virtually eliminate the risk of inadvertently citing retracted research.

Best Tools for Detecting Retracted Papers

A Pre-Submission Retraction Checklist

Before submitting any manuscript to a journal, follow this five-point checklist to protect the integrity of your reference list. First, import all your references into Zotero and check for retraction flags. Second, upload your manuscript to Scite.ai Reference Check for an independent scan. Third, manually verify any high-impact references by checking their status on the publisher’s website and CrossRef. Fourth, read full papers rather than citing from secondary sources — this reduces the risk of perpetuating someone else’s retracted citation. Fifth, document your verification process so you can demonstrate due diligence if questions arise later.

Frequently Asked Questions About Citing Retracted Articles

Can I cite a retracted paper in my thesis or dissertation? Generally, no — unless you are explicitly discussing the retraction as part of your research topic. Your thesis committee and university will expect you to rely only on valid, current literature.

Will citing a retracted article cause my paper to be rejected? It can. Peer reviewers and editors routinely check reference lists. Citing a retracted paper without acknowledging its retracted status signals a lack of thoroughness and may lead to rejection.

What if only part of the retracted paper was flawed? COPE guidelines advise that retractions indicate the entire article is unreliable. If only a small portion were affected, the journal would typically issue a correction rather than a retraction.

How long after publication can a paper be retracted? There is no time limit. A 1991 clinical study was retracted in 2022, 31 years later. This is why ongoing monitoring of your reference list matters.

What is the difference between a retraction and an expression of concern? An expression of concern is issued when editors suspect problems but have not yet completed their investigation. A retraction is the final determination that the article is unreliable.

Do I need to retract my own paper if I cited a retracted article? In most cases, no. A correction or erratum is sufficient unless the retracted citation fundamentally undermines your own conclusions. This is most likely in systematic reviews or meta-analyses where the retracted study was a key included trial.

How Editverse Can Help Protect Your Research Integrity

Navigating the complexities of retracted citations, reference verification, and post-publication corrections can be challenging. Editverse’s professional publication support services include comprehensive reference verification and retraction screening to ensure your manuscript cites only valid, current literature before submission.

References

1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Retraction Guidelines. https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines
2. Retraction Watch Database. https://retractionwatch.com/
3. Bolland MJ, Grey A, Avenell A. Citation of retracted publications: A challenging problem. Accountability in Research. 2021;29(1):18-25. doi: 10.1080/08989621.2021.1886933
4. Teixeira da Silva JA. The citation of retracted papers and impact on the integrity of the scientific biomedical literature. Learned Publishing. 2025. doi: 10.1002/leap.1667
5. Avenell A, et al. An investigation into the impact and implications of published papers from retracted research. BMJ Open. 2019;9(10):e031909. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031909
6. National Library of Medicine. Errata, Retractions, and Other Linked Citations in PubMed. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/policy/errata.html
7. Zotero. Retracted item notifications with Retraction Watch integration. https://www.zotero.org/blog/retracted-item-notifications/
8. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, Section 4.4.6. https://training.cochrane.org/handbook