Analysis of Retracted Publications on Artificial Intelligence: Trends, Ethical Concerns, and Scientific Integrity
Kocyigit B.F. Okyay R.A. Seiil B. Qumar A.B. Sumbul H.E.
17 November 2025Korean Academy of Medical Science
Journal of Korean Medical Science
2025#40Issue 44
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has promoted progress across various fields. The number of papers regarding AI has risen in recent years. This study examines retracted publications regarding AI by analyzing trends, journals, and reasons. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study thoroughly investigated retracted AI-related papers listed in PubMed. The data extraction comprised bibliographic data, reasons for retraction, citation metrics, journal indexing status, and Altmetric Attention Scores (AASs). Retraction notices were classified according to particular reasons. Descriptive statistics were employed to evaluate retraction trends, geographic distribution, and citation impact. Results: A total of 764 retracted AI-related papers were examined, with the most retractions occurring in 2023 (n = 667). China had the highest number (n = 551), followed by India (n = 40) and Bangladesh (n = 23). Journals focusing on mathematical and computational biology, neurosciences, and healthcare sciences had the most retractions. The most common retraction reasons were peer review issues (n = 716) and data concerns (n = 714), followed by irrelevant citations (n = 571) and unethical AI use (n = 238). The median time to retraction was 510 days (18–4,200). The median citation and AAS scores were (0–167) and 0 (0–191). Conclusion: The high number of retractions from China highlights the need for higher research standards. Deficits in peer review and data issues emerged as the main reasons for retraction, underscoring persistent challenges in maintaining research integrity and quality assurance. For scientific literature integrity, academic institutions, publishers, and researchers should stress transparency, ethics, and rigorous post-publication inspection.
Artificial Intelligence , Deep Learning , Machine Learning , Retraction Notice , Retraction of Publication , Scientific Misconduct
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Adana, Turkey
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey
Department of Chemical Disciplines, Biology and Biochemistry, South Kazakhstan Medical Academy, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Health Policy and Management, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Adana Health Practice and Research Center, Adana, Turkey
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Department of Public Health
Department of Chemical Disciplines
Department of Health Policy and Management
Department of Internal Medicine
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026