Social Impact Analysis of Retracted Paper in the Context of Public Health Emergencies

Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 retracted papers can provide references for effectively preventing and controlling negative effects. In this study, 253 COVID-19 retracted papers in Retraction Watch were selected as research objects. Focusing on the paper publication and the retraction notice release, this study analyzes their social impact from three aspects: social attention, public dissemination and policy making. Meanwhile, this study takes typical retracted papers as examples to analyze the impact cascade phenomenon it may trigger. The results show that paper characteristics, delay in retraction, and reasons for retraction play an important role in the social impact of COVID-19 retracted papers, which is highly concentrated. The faster papers gains public attention, the longer the duration of their attention will be. Some papers could be used in policy documents soon after publication, often by referring to the conclusions and discussion sections to enhance persuasion. On this basis, this study proposes strategies to prevent and control the negative impact of retracted papers. First, journals should pay attention to the standardization of the retraction process and statement. Second, researchers should consider public needs and emphasize the social value of scientific research. Third, the supervision department should play an important role in accelerating the process of academic purification through news media and social media. When utilizing academic achievements, policymakers should adequately assess the quality of papers and update retraction information promptly.