The academic journal Heliyon has retracted hundreds of scientific papers following a comprehensive internal audit. This move comes after the influential indexing service Clarivate placed the journal on hold, raising concerns about the quality of its published content.
The publisher, Elsevier, initiated an investigation into all articles published since the journal's inception in 2016, uncovering significant ethical and integrity issues. The journal's publication volume has since seen a sharp decline, while the number of retractions has increased dramatically.
Key Takeaways
- The mega-journal Heliyon has retracted 392 papers in the last year and 37 so far this year.
- The action follows Clarivate's Web of Science putting the journal on an "on-hold" status in September 2024 due to quality concerns.
- An internal audit by publisher Elsevier found evidence of citation manipulation, compromised peer review, and authorship irregularities.
- Heliyon's publication output dropped from over 17,000 papers in 2024 to just 144 so far in the current year.
A Sudden Halt to a Publishing Giant
Heliyon, a prominent open-access journal, experienced a period of rapid growth, publishing over 11,000 papers in 2023 and more than 17,000 in 2024. However, its trajectory shifted abruptly when Clarivate, which manages the highly respected Web of Science database, put the journal's indexing on hold in September 2024.
This "on-hold" status signifies that a journal is under re-evaluation and its new content is not being added to the database. For many researchers, inclusion in Web of Science is a critical marker of a journal's credibility and impact.
From Thousands to Handfuls
The change in Heliyon's output is stark. After publishing over 17,000 articles in 2024, the journal has only published 144 articles so far this year. In contrast, it has retracted 392 papers last year and 37 this year.
The potential consequence is significant. If the hold is not lifted by August 1, Heliyon will not receive an official impact factor for the year, a key metric used by academics and institutions to gauge a journal's influence.
Uncovering Widespread Integrity Issues
In response to the external scrutiny, Heliyon's publishers, Cell Press and Elsevier, launched a sweeping audit. In an April statement, the journal acknowledged the investigation covered every article published since its launch in 2016.
The audit revealed serious problems with academic practices. According to the journal, investigators found concerns related to practices that did not align with its policies.
"The audit uncovered concerns regarding practices that do not align with our policies, such as citation manipulation, compromised peer review, authorship irregularities, and tortured phrases."
These issues strike at the core of scientific integrity. Citation manipulation involves artificially inflating a paper's importance, while compromised peer review suggests that the expert evaluation process was flawed or subverted. The presence of "tortured phrases" often indicates the use of software to rephrase plagiarized text, a hallmark of papers produced by fraudulent paper mills.
Reasons for Retraction
The official retraction notices provide a clearer picture of the problems identified during the investigation. Common reasons cited for pulling the papers include:
- Suspicious author affiliations and research areas
- Irregularities in authorship changes after submission
- Issues with reference lists and citation stacking
- Concerns regarding ethical approval for the research
The publisher has stated that the investigation is ongoing and includes implementing improvements to the journal's workflow to prevent future ethical breaches.
What is a Mega-Journal?
A mega-journal is a type of scientific journal characterized by its large volume of publications across a broad range of subjects. They often have a less selective editorial policy, focusing on the scientific soundness of a study rather than its perceived importance or impact. This model has been praised for accelerating scientific communication but has also faced criticism for potential quality control issues.
A Broader Trend in Academic Publishing
Heliyon is not an isolated case. Clarivate has recently placed other major journals on hold or delisted them entirely, signaling a wider crackdown on publishing quality and ethics. The mega-journal Cureus was also put on hold and later removed from the Master Journal List, causing it to lose its impact factor.
This increased scrutiny from major indexing services like Web of Science and Scopus is putting pressure on large-scale publishers to police their own content more rigorously. For researchers, a journal's delisting can have serious career implications, as they may be less likely to submit work to a journal that is not indexed or lacks an impact factor.
As the investigation into Heliyon continues, the academic community is watching closely. The outcome will not only determine the future of this specific journal but may also influence publishing standards across the scientific landscape, forcing a difficult but necessary conversation about the balance between publication quantity and research quality.
