How to check if a paper was retracted or corrected

Open the journal’s page using the DOI

Look for the DOI on the first page of the PDF or in the bibliographic record. If it appears as plain text, put https://doi.org/ in front of it and open the link. Compare the title, authors and year with your copy to confirm you found the same article.

On the article page, check the heading and associated links. Look for terms such as correction, erratum, expression of concern or retraction. Open the notice and confirm it refers to the original DOI. The notice can have its own DOI.

Cross-check the status in Crossmark and PubMed

If the journal shows a Crossmark button, open it to see the updates registered for that document. If the button is absent or the record shows no notice, make a note of where you looked and check whether the journal published a separate notice. Crossref explains that the service depends on the updates publishers report. Crossmark guide.

If PubMed lists the study, search by DOI or exact title and check the linked records. On the original record, “Retraction in” points to the notice. On the notice record, “Retraction of” points to the original. This relationship tells you which of the two records you are reading. NLM policy on linked citations.

Read the type of notice you found

Journals may distinguish corrections, expressions of concern and retractions. The notice helps you decide what to do with the material you planned to cite. PLOS ONE editorial policy.

• Correction. Find the changed data point, table or passage. If your note relies on it, rewrite the note using the corrected version.
• Expression of concern. Read which part of the work is in question and check for a later update. Record that uncertainty before using the conclusion.
• Retraction. Save the notice and look for another source to support the claim. If you cite the article to discuss the case itself, state its status and link to the notice.

Follow a real example from start to finish

On December 2, 2020, PLOS ONE published an article about controlling a bearing system. Its page now has a retraction section linking to a notice dated March 18, 2025. Compare the DOIs. The original ends in 0243107 and the notice ends in 0320337. Original article · Retraction notice.

In PubMed you can follow the links in both directions. Record 33264358 links to the retraction and 40100785 identifies the affected article. That lets you confirm the status even if you started with a copy showing only the 2020 date. Article record · Notice record.

Leave a note you can check again

Write down the article’s DOI, the status you found, the date you checked and the notice link if there is one. Add one sentence about what changes in your reading. For example, “The correction replaces the table I planned to cite. Check the current table before sharing.”

Once you have the version you want to read, continue with the methods, results and figures. A guide to reading a research paper.