Cochrane is strengthening how it identifies and manages retracted publications associated with studies included in published or ongoing Cochrane reviews
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
As part of our commitment to the highest standards of evidence, Cochrane is strengthening how it identifies and manages retracted publications associated with studies included in published or ongoing Cochrane reviews. This includes tagging retracted studies within our CENTRAL database and new steps to manage retractions of included studies that occur after reviews have been published.
Cochrane’s systematic reviews are widely recognized for their independence and integrity and are a trusted source of evidence to inform health-related decision-making. Many clinical and public health guidelines cite or use evidence from Cochrane reviews in formulating recommendations. Maintaining trustworthy evidence requires robust standards both before and after publication.
Prior to publication
As the volume of published research grows, so too does the number of retractions. Retractions occur when there is no longer confidence in the results and conclusions reported in a paper, and so studies associated with these retractions should not be included in systematic reviews (Cochrane policy is that these should be listed as excluded studies).
We have long-standing guidance to identify and exclude retracted studies during review development and editorial processes. Author teams should include a qualified information specialist or librarian, search sources such as Retraction Watch and consider other mechanisms for identifying post-publication amendments, report that these checks have been undertaken, and that studies with retractions have been excluded.
After publication
Systematic reviews reflect the best available evidence at the time they are published. However, when a study included in a review is later retracted, this may affect the reliability of the review’s findings and conclusions.
Publishers of systematic reviews have a responsibility to ensure readers are informed when included studies are retracted and to explain the potential impact on the review. Where a retraction undermines confidence in the conclusions, a decision may be required on whether the systematic review itself should be retracted, in line with guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This aligns with Cochrane’s position that the purpose of retraction or withdrawal is to correct the literature and ensure its integrity, not to punish the authors.
Recent technological developments have made it easier to identify and manage retractions at scale. The Retraction Watch Database is now openly available through Crossref, making it easier to systematically identify retracted publications.
Cochrane is using these data to tag retracted studies within its CENTRAL database. We are matching these studies to included studies in Cochrane reviews so we can focus on those that have the potential to impact a review’s findings and conclusions.
Determining whether removing an included study (or studies) results in a meaningful change to the review findings or conclusions is not a simple process. To ensure a consistent and transparent approach, we have developed a new framework and accompanying guidance for Cochrane review teams and other researchers to apply to systematic reviews, as well as guidance for editors on deciding whether an editorial note or retraction is required for the published review itself.
Next steps
We’ll be contacting authors of affected reviews and editorial notes will be added to the published reviews to alert readers while the framework is being applied. We encourage authors to update their review as soon as they are able and move studies with retractions from included to excluded; in the interim, editorial notes will ensure transparency for readers. Where retractions are found to meaningfully affect a review’s conclusions, a decision will be made on whether the review requires retraction.
Work is also underway to further automate the tagging of retracted studies in CENTRAL and to develop systems to alert authors of Cochrane reviews when a reference to an included study is newly retracted.
Addressing included studies with retractions is a first step in maintaining the integrity and trust in published Cochrane reviews. Published Cochrane reviews may also include potentially problematic included studies that do not yet have an associated retraction. If that is the case, we recommend that these studies be brought to the attention of the journal that published them so that the editors can investigate the issues in accordance with COPE guidance. In addition, authors are encouraged to complete a full update of their review and apply a tool to assess the trustworthiness of included studies, such as INSPECT-SR.
