What This Tool Does
You already know which publications you care about, for example the reference list of a manuscript or the publications named in a CV, and want to know whether any of them have been retracted. This tool checks a list of DOIs against the Retraction Watch database in one go.
A DOI identifies exactly one publication, so unlike a search by author name there is nothing to disambiguate and nothing to review: for every DOI the answer is simply yes or no.
How to Use
Step 1: Enter DOIs
Paste the DOIs you want to check, one per line. Each line can be written in any of the common forms:
- a bare DOI, e.g.
10.1016/j.bjoms.2007.08.005 - with a
doi:prefix, e.g.doi:10.1038/nature12373 - as a link, e.g.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1078616
Blank lines are ignored and duplicate lines are only looked up once. A single lookup can hold up to 5000 DOIs.
Step 2: Check for Retractions
Click "Check for retractions". The summary at the top of the results tells you how many of your DOIs are in the database.
Step 3: Read the Results
Every DOI that was found comes with its full record: title, authors, journal and publication date, the type of notice, the reasons given, and links to the notice itself. Some publications have more than one record, in which case all of them are shown.
By default only the DOIs that were found are listed. Turn off "Show only retracted" to see your whole list, with every other DOI marked "No retraction found".
Tips for Effective Use
- Look at the type of each record, not only at the "Retracted" marker: besides retractions, the database also lists corrections and expressions of concern, which are far less serious.
- Use the DOI of the original publication, not the DOI of its retraction notice. The lookup matches on the original paper only.
- A mistyped DOI is not reported as an error, it simply comes back as "No retraction found". If a result surprises you, check the DOI.
- On wide screens you can drag the line between the two panes to make either of them wider. Double-click it to go back to the default.
FAQ
Where does the retraction data come from?
Crossref acquired the Retraction Watch database in 2023 and now maintains it. This tool uses the Crossref GitLab repository of that data, which is updated regularly.
Does "No retraction found" mean a publication is fine?
Not necessarily. It means the DOI is not in the Retraction Watch database. A very recent retraction may not have made it into the data yet, and a DOI that doesn't exist at all gives the same answer.
When should I use the Expert Search instead?
When your question is about a person rather than about particular publications. The Expert Search finds the retractions of an author by name, without you having to know which of their publications to check.
Is my list saved?
No. DOI mode doesn't save anything, neither your list nor the results, so reloading the page or closing the tab clears both. There is nothing to export or import: to check the same publications again, paste the list again.