Agariadne Dwinggo Samala, Feri Ferdian, Yudha Aditya Fiandra, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Soha Rawas, Muhammad Mujtaba Asad
Retractions are crucial in safeguarding scholarly integrity, yet their growing incidence raises concerns about research quality and ethics. This study investigates the patterns and drivers of retracted publications by Indonesian-affiliated scholars, where academic publishing is closely tied to career progression. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)2020, retraction data were collected from Scopus and the Retraction Watch Database (RWDB). A total of 148 formally retracted publications were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bibliometric mapping via Biblioshiny, and thematic coding to identify patterns, causes, and temporal trends. Retractions have surged since 2015, peaking in 2024, with the highest concentrations in medicine, engineering, and social sciences. Major causes include plagiarism, duplication, authorship disputes, and predatory outlets. Most cases involve single-country collaborations, institutions based in Java and Sumatra, and open-access, Article Processing Charge (APC)-driven venues. The findings expose systemic weaknesses in Indonesia’s research ecosystem, underscoring the need for integrity oversight, stronger governance, and guidelines on artificial intelligence (AI) ethics. The study highlights the urgent need for coordinated action among universities, policymakers, and publishers to enhance research integrity, combat predatory publishing practices, and establish clear guidelines for the ethical use of AI in scholarly writing to prevent future escalations. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang, West Sumatra, Padang, Indonesia; Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Universitas Negeri Padang, West Sumatra, Padang, Indonesia; Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia; Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Education, Sukkur IBA University, Sukkur, Pakistan; Sohar University, Sohar, Oman
