Medical journals over the past decade have had to retract a rising number of articles, in part because there are more publications, but also due to problems of fraud.
While the number of papers published since 2001 in research journals increased 44%, the number of papers retracted went up 1500%.
Ten years ago, there were 22 retraction notices. By 2006, the total soared to 139, and by last year, the number reached 339.
This year is on pace to be even higher, with 210 retractions as of July.
Meanwhile, retractions resulting from fraud went up sevenfold between 2004 and 2009.
The journals with the most retractions were the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Science, Nature and The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
-Noel Brinkerhoff