RetractOMatic

Retracted scientific research should be treated with caution. Often its conclusions are at least partially flawed. Yet many retracted papers continue to be referenced by scientists for years after being withdrawn. Why? Because retractions are not always clearly marked.

RetractOMatic highlights retracted titles in Google Scholar and Web of Science searches. When RetractOMatic is confident that a paper is retracted it turns the text red, while lower confidence matches turn orange. It's a small first step toward notifying scientists of withdrawn papers when browsing the web.

Try it out! Fortunately retracted papers are pretty rare in the wild, but if you've just downloaded RetractOMatic, you can test it by searching for one of the top 5 most cited retracted papers (according to retractionwatch.com):

1. Visfatin: A protein secreted by visceral fat that mimics the effects of insulin
2. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children
3. An enhanced transient expression system in plants based on suppression of gene silencing by the p19 protein of tomato bushy stunt virus
4. Purification and ex vivo expansion of postnatal human marrow mesodermal progenitor cells
5. Viral pathogenicity determinants are suppressors of transgene silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana

Of course, not all retracted science is completely wrong! Papers are withdrawn for all kinds of reasons, including licensing issues, duplication, and minor honest mistakes. By making you aware of retractions, RetractOMatic simply allows you to use your own good judgement when deciding what work to build on.

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