Comparing the performance of Retraction Watch Database, PubMed, and Web of Science in identifying retracted publications in medicine

To compare the performance of Retraction Watch Database (RWD), PubMed, and Web of Science (WoS) in identifying retracted publications (RP) in medicine. This cross-sectional study analyzed RP in 131 high-impact journals spanning nine disciplines: anesthesiology, dermatology, general internal medicine, gynecology/obstetrics, neurology, oncology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and radiology. Using RWD, PubMed, and WoS, we retrieved all publications that were retracted in these journals. The total number of RP was defined as the combined count across the three databases. We calculated the proportion of RP retrieved by each database overall, by journal, and by discipline. A total of 878 RP were identified. Anesthesiology accounted for the most RP (<i>n</i> = 382), followed by general internal medicine (<i>n</i> = 125) and gynecology/obstetrics (<i>n</i> = 116). RWD retrieved the highest number (815; 92.8%), followed by PubMed (758; 86.3%) and WoS (734; 83.6%). Performance varied across disciplines: RWD captured 75–99%, PubMed 52–97%, and WoS 58–96%. RWD outperformed the others in eight of nine disciplines; the exception was gynecology/obstetrics, where PubMed performed better. RWD demonstrated superior coverage compared to PubMed and WoS, though performance varied by discipline. Combining databases offers a more comprehensive approach to retraction identification.

本研究为横断面研究，旨在比较《撤稿观察数据库》(Retraction Watch Database, RWD)、PubMed及Web of Science(WoS)在识别医学领域撤稿论文(Retracted Publications, RP)中的性能表现。研究分析了涵盖9个学科的131种高影响力期刊中的撤稿论文，涉及学科包括麻醉学、皮肤病学、普通内科学、妇产科学、神经病学、肿瘤学、儿科学、精神病学及放射学。研究人员通过RWD、PubMed与WoS检索上述期刊中所有已撤稿的论文，以三个数据库的检索结果总计数作为撤稿论文总样本量，并分别计算各数据库在整体、单期刊及学科层面的撤稿论文检索占比。最终共识别出878篇撤稿论文。其中麻醉学领域撤稿论文数量最多（n=382），其次为普通内科学（n=125）与妇产科学（n=116）。RWD的检索量最高，共计815篇，占比92.8%；其次为PubMed（758篇，占比86.3%）与WoS（734篇，占比83.6%）。各数据库的检索性能在不同学科间存在差异：RWD的检索覆盖率为75%~99%，PubMed为52%~97%，WoS为58%~96%。RWD在9个学科中的8个学科表现优于另外两个数据库；仅在妇产科学领域，PubMed的检索性能更优。综上，尽管各数据库的检索性能因学科不同存在差异，但RWD的撤稿论文覆盖度优于PubMed与WoS；联合使用多个数据库可实现更全面的撤稿论文识别方案。