This past month, I had the chance to meet up with some editorial staff in Montréal to discuss the integrity of the scholarly record. Part of this discussion included retractions and how to handle them. This is also a common question that we receive here in Support, so let’s dig in and learn a bit more about retractions: why they’re important, how to register them, and how to retrieve them.
Because DOIs are persistent and we want to maintain a full picture of the scholarly record, we do not delete or remove DOIs. Therefore, if an item needs to be retracted or withdrawn, there are some steps to take to do so properly and consistently. We understand that research undergoes changes after publication, and it’s important that these changes are accurately reflected in the scholarly record. Readers need to be able to find the most recent, up-to-date work, and the proper versions need to be cited correctly.
Retraction how-to
Step One: Issue an update document and create a metadata record for it
When an editorially significant update is made to a document, you should issue a separate document (such as a correction or retraction notice) which explains the change. This separate document will have a different DOI and different metadata from the document that it updates. The metadata for the update document should include a link to the item being updated, as well as information on the type of update. This is all contained in the Crossmark section of the metadata. Here’s what this looks like in an XML file:
If you are not comfortable editing and submitting XML, you can also register this metadata using our Web Deposit Form. (Note: you don’t need to participate in the Crossmark service to include this metadata.)
You’ll enter the journal metadata and then move on to the article metadata, as usual, where you’ll enter a new DOI and other relevant metadata for the retraction notice. Then, scroll down and click on the Add Crossmark Metadata button, where additional fields will appear.
You’ll then enter the DOI of the article being retracted in the Updates section, under the “Update DOI” field. You then choose retraction (or appropriate update type, i.e., corrigendum, etc.) from the drop-down list. When you submit the record for the update document, this will create a new DOI for the retraction notice, as well as link it to the original, retracted article so they can be connected.
Step Two: Update the original work to show that it was retracted
The original article/DOI, which has been retracted should also be updated to show that it has been retracted. You can do this by adding “WITHDRAWN” or “RETRACTED” at the front of the article title in the Crossref metadata record. We also recommend doing the same for the title listed on the item’s landing page on your website as well. You may also want to replace the abstract of the work with a correction, withdrawal, or retraction notice in both the metadata and on your website or publishing platform. It is important to leave a landing page on your website for the retracted article, with the information listed above; do not let it go to a 404 or Page Not Found!
Best practices from the community
We are not alone in wanting our members to commit to issuing retractions and corrections, as these are a sign of commitment to integrity and are an important part of preserving the scholarly record. Both COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and NISO (National Information Standards Organization) have some excellent recommendations that we encourage you to read.
- COPE recommendations: https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4 (just updated as of 29 August 2025!)
- NISO recommendations: https://doi.org/10.3789/niso-rp-45-2024
Retrieving retraction metadata
From the other side of things, you can also retrieve information about retractions through Crossref’s REST API.
There are several queries you can use to find information about retractions using different types of queries. These queries pull from Crossref’s data, as well as Retraction Watch, which we acquired and opened two years ago.
All retractions from our REST API:
https://api.crossref.org/works?filter=update-type:retraction
See more than the first 20 results:
https://api.crossref.org/works?filter=update-type:retraction&rows=50
See retractions created in 2025 to present:
https://api.crossref.org/works?filter=update-type:retraction,from-created-date:2025-01-01
See DOIs that have an update:
https://api.crossref.org/works?filter=has-update:true
See retractions published by a specific prefix:
https://api.crossref.org/prefixes/10.5555/works?filter=update-type:retraction
These are just a few of the queries you may find helpful, and they can be manipulated and combined in many ways to narrow the results you’re seeking. (For instance, you can adjust the date range to include just a specific month or a specific range of years.)
We encourage you to keep up-to-date on your retractions and corrections. And keep these practices as consistent as possible. Not only does this help readers find and cite the correct research, but it is also an indicator that you are concerned with both the health of your publications and the maintenance and sustainability of the larger scholarly record.