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The propagation of error: retracted articles in marketing and their citations

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  • Salim Moussa

    (Institut Supérieur des Études Appliquées en Humanités)

Abstract

A retraction is the removal of an article from the scientific record at any time after its publication. This study investigates the characteristics of retracted articles in marketing. A total of 30 retracted articles published in 18 marketing journals were identified using Google Scholar and then analyzed. The analysis shows that the main reason for retracting marketing articles is duplication, followed by errors in data and data fabrication. On average, it took 2.371 years for each of these articles to be retracted. Using Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science, it has been found that these retracted articles received 421 citations, 196 of which are post-retraction citations. More specifically, 22 of the 30 retracted marketing articles continue to be cited several years after their retraction. The most cited retracted marketing article gathered 67 citations of which 30 are post-retraction citations with all of them being positive citations referencing it as valid and legitimate work. The citation pollution caused by that retracted article transcends marketing to cover such disciplines as information science, psychology, and health nutrition.

Suggested Citation

  • Salim Moussa, 2022. "The propagation of error: retracted articles in marketing and their citations," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2022(1), pages 11-36, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijmark:v:2022:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s43039-021-00044-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s43039-021-00044-7
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    1. Salim Moussa, 2022. "Issues About Marketing Journals’ Special Issues," Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 160-170, November.

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