Retraction data · updated 2026-08-23
Retracted papers published in 2020
Papers published in 2020that have since been formally withdrawn from the scientific record, computed from the CiteDash catalog. Retraction is slow: investigations take years, so this count keeps rising and today’s number is a floor, not a final verdict on 2020.
480
retracted papers from 2020 so far
10.8
per 10,000 papers published in 2020
445,408
2020 papers in the catalog
Most-cited retracted papers of 2020
Ranked by citation count: the retracted papers from 2020 that other research leaned on most, which is exactly why each retraction matters. Anything citing them inherits the problem.
- RETRACTEDPetroleum Science
Interactions of ferro-nanoparticles (hematite and magnetite) with reservoir sandstone: implications for surface adsorption and interfacial tension reduction
- RETRACTEDMolecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine
RETRACTED: Population genetic analysis of Shaanxi male Han Chinese population reveals genetic differentiation and homogenization of East Asians
- RETRACTEDRedox Biology
RETRACTED: Restoration of L-OPA1 alleviates acute ischemic stroke injury in rats via inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and preserving mitochondrial function
- RETRACTEDNature Communications
Retraction Note: The association between early career informal mentorship in academic collaborations and junior author performance
- RETRACTEDIOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering
RETRACTED: Hazards and occupational risk assessment in the bricklayer’s workplace
- RETRACTEDOncogene
RETRACTED ARTICLE: HBx/ERα complex-mediated LINC01352 downregulation promotes HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma via the miR-135b-APC axis
- RETRACTEDPharmaceutics
RETRACTED: Quantification and Evaluations of Catechin Hydrate Polymeric Nanoparticles Used in Brain Targeting for the Treatment of Epilepsy
- RETRACTEDAdvanced Materials
Retracted: Nanozyme‐Initiated In Situ Cascade Reactions for Self‐Amplified Biocatalytic Immunotherapy
Method and scope
Figures are aggregates over the CiteDash catalog; retraction status comes from the open scholarly catalogs (OpenAlex, drawing on Crossref and Retraction Watch data). They describe this catalog, not the whole scholarly record, and the rate per 10,000 is the safer number to quote. Aggregates recompute twice a day. Cite as: CiteDash Retraction Data, citedash.ai/retractions/2020, updated 2026-08-23. CC BY 4.0.
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Retractions of 2020: FAQ
What does it mean when a paper is retracted?
The journal has formally withdrawn it from the scientific record, usually after finding fabricated data, plagiarism, unreliable results, or compromised peer review. A retracted paper should not be cited as evidence, and examiners and journals actively check reference lists for them.
Where do these numbers come from?
They are computed from the research papers indexed in the CiteDash catalog, with retraction status drawn from the open scholarly catalogs (OpenAlex, which incorporates Crossref and Retraction Watch data). They describe this catalog, not the entire scholarly record, so absolute counts will differ from databases with different coverage.
Why do recent years show fewer retractions?
Retraction is slow: investigations, institutional reviews, and journal processes routinely take years. A paper published recently has had little time to be caught, so recent years' counts keep rising for a decade or more. A small number for last year says nothing about how many of its papers will eventually be retracted.
Does a journal appearing on this page mean it is a bad journal?
No, and the reverse is also false. Large journals publish more of everything, including papers later retracted, and a high count can reflect a journal that actively investigates and cleans up its record. Equally, a journal missing from this page is not certified clean: it may simply have too few papers in our catalog to report on responsibly.
How do I check my own references for retractions?
Paste any DOI into the free retraction checker, or paste a whole reference list into the bibliography checker to screen every entry at once. Inside CiteDash, every paper is screened automatically and continuously before it can enter a bibliography.