Analysis of the retraction papers in microRNA field from Chinese scholars between 2009 to 2022

Analysis of the retraction papers in microRNA field from Chinese scholars between 2009 to 2022 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Analysis of the retraction papers in microRNA field from Chinese scholars between 2009 to 2022 Wei Liao, Hongyi Qin, Yanghua Qin This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8579411/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene expression regulation. Since their discovery in the early 1990s, miRNAs have become a significant focus in life sciences and medical research, particularly in China. Despite this, issues of scientific ethics and research integrity have arisen, leading to a notable number of retractions. Methods Data on retracted papers from Chinese scholars with "microRNA" or "miRNA" in their titles, published between 2009 and 2022, were sourced from the Retraction Watch database. Data were analyzed using Excel and figures were generated with the CNSknowall platform. Results A total of 1063 retracted papers were identified, with 992 unique entries. Retractions peaked in 2020. The most common reasons for retraction were paper mills (48.3%), duplication of Image (40.3%), and concerns/issues about data (37.2%). Investigations by journals or publishers accounted for 24.0% of retractions. Most retractions (77.8%) occurred within four years of publication, with the longest delay being nearly 14 years. The retracted papers were from 42 publishers and 161 journals, with the top ten publishers accounting for 86.1% of retractions. Oncology/Cancer was the most affected discipline (54.6%). Discussion The increasing volume of publications by Chinese scholars has highlighted issues of scientific integrity. The high pressure to publish, linked to career advancement and financial incentives, has led to unethical practices. While recent efforts by the NSFC to impose penalties and increase scrutiny have led to a decline in retractions, ongoing efforts to enforce ethical standards are crucial. Training and promoting a culture of transparency and accountability are essential to maintain scientific rigor. Conclusion The high number of retractions in miRNAs research is largely due to standardized methods that facilitate fraud. Increased oversight and enforcement of research integrity, coupled with training programs, are vital to ensuring the credibility of scientific research. There is hope that stricter penalties and greater attention to scientific misconduct will reverse the trend of rising retractions. Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Introduction MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules approximately 20–24 nucleotides in length that play a critical role in regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level[ 1 ]. First discovered in the early 1990s in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, miRNAs have since been identified in a wide variety of organisms, including plants, animals, and viruses. MiRNAs have rapidly become a focal point in life sciences and medical research in China, with significant funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC), especially in clinical medicine and oncology. The first two decades of the 21st century have seen rapid growth in miRNAs research in China, as well as significant challenges in scientific ethics and research integrity. Investigations by publishers and journals have uncovered many papers produced by "paper mills," with a significant proportion involving miRNAs research[ 2 , 3 ]. The number of retracted articles has increased rapidly in recent years[ 4 ]. On one hand, this is due to the growing volume of publications each year. On the other hand, researchers can now publicly question and discuss studies on specialized websites like PubPeer, and with advancements in AI technology, it has become easier to detect image and data errors than ever before[ 5 , 6 ]. The methods and reasons for retraction are also changing over years. Retraction methods have shifted from being primarily author-initiated to being driven by publishers and/or journals who actively investigate. The reasons for retraction have evolved from certain forms of misconduct to predominantly image duplication, compromised peer review, and the involvement of paper mills. "Paper mills" are organized "international misconduct groups" that profit by charging researchers fees to submit papers on their behalf to journals, facilitating publication, or selling authorship. The phenomenon of paper mills has become increasingly prevalent, particularly in China. According to data from the renowned whistleblower Dr. Elisabeth Bik and her team on the PubPeer website, they have been instrumental in the retraction of over 80% of papers associated with paper mills[ 7 ]. The frequent negative news surrounding academic research has prompted the Chinese Ministry of Education to issue a notice in November 2023, titled "Notification on the Self-Inspection of Retracted Papers by the Department of Science and Technology and Informatization of the Ministry of Education." This notice requires all higher education institutions and research organizations to conduct self-inspections and to penalize authors and institutions involved in academic misconduct related to retracted papers, aiming to steer scientific research back toward rational and genuine inquiry. To assess the status and characteristics of retracted miRNAs research papers published by Chinese scholars, this study utilizes data from the Retraction Watch database. By analyzing publication and retraction dates, retraction reasons, Journals and publishers, and related academic disciplines, this paper aims to comprehensively evaluate the scientific ethics and academic integrity of miRNAs research papers. Methodology Data on retracted papers from Chinese scholars with "miRNA" or "microRNA" in their titles, published from 2009 to 2022, were sourced from the Retraction Watch database. The "Country(s)" option was set to "China," and the publication date range was from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2022. The retraction notice deadline was April 8, 2024, and the "Nature of Notice" option was set to "Retraction." Other options were kept at default settings. Data on the involved journals, such as their indexing in the SCI/SCIE database, impact factors, and quartile in category, were obtained from the Web of Science database and journal websites. The data were imported into Excel for analysis, and all figures were generated using the CNSknowall platform ( www.cnsknowall.com ). Results 1.Retraction Data and Distribution By querying the Retraction Watch database, we identified a total of 1063 papers authored by Chinese scholars related to miRNAs that were retracted, with 992 unique entries after removing duplicates. The distribution of retractions over the years is shown in Fig. 1 a. There was a notable peak in 2020, followed by a sharp decline. Among the papers, 116, 365, 246, and 157 were retracted from 2020 to 2023, accounting for 11.69%, 36.79%, 24.80%, and 15.83% of the total retractions, respectively. The regional distribution of retractions is depicted in Fig. 1 b, showing a correlation with population density and the number of hospitals, with Shandong, Jilin, and Henan provinces having the highest number of retractions at 182, 130, and 71 papers respectively. 2.Reasons for Retraction Multiple reasons were accounting for retractions, with the top ten reasons illustrated in Fig. 2 . The most frequent reason was the involvement of paper mills, accounting for 479 retractions (48.3%), followed by duplication of Image (400 retractions, 40.3%) and concerns/issues about data (369 retractions, 37.2%). Other image-related issues include 'Concerns/Issues About Image' (223 retractions, 22.48%), 'Manipulation of Images' (52 retractions, 5.24%), 'Error in Image' (39 retractions, 3.93%), and 'Plagiarism of Image' (14 retractions, 1.41%). Other issues related to results and data include 'Unreliable Results' (282 retractions, 28.4%), 'Original Data not Provided' (207 retractions, 20.87%), 'Concerns/Issues About Results' (90 retractions, 9.07%), 'Results Not Reproducible' (61 retractions, 6.15%), 'Unreliable Data' (48 retractions, 4.84%), 'Duplication of Data' (45 retractions, 4.54%), 'Date of Retraction/Other Unknown' (34 retractions, 3.43%), 'Error in Results' (24 retractions, 2.42%), and 'Falsification/Fabrication of Data' (20 retractions, 2.02%). Notably, 238 retractions (24.0%) resulted from investigations by journals or publishers. 3.Retraction Time Delay The retraction time delay of 992 papers was 0-165 months (median,32 months). The distribution of retraction is presented in Fig. 3 . A significant portion (77.8%) of papers were retracted within four years of publication, with the specific distributions being 157 (15.8%), 174 (17.5%), 258 (26.0%), and 183 (18.4%) papers for each year respectively. Sixteen papers were retracted more than 8 years after publication, with the longest retraction delay being nearly 14 years. 4.Publishers and Journals Involved Figures 4 a and 4 b highlight the top ten publishers and journals involved in the retraction of miRNAs papers. A total of 42 publishers were identified, with the top ten responsible for 86.1% (854/992) of the retractions. There were 22 publishers with five or fewer retractions and 12 publishers with only one retraction. Retractions were spread across 161 different journals, with the top ten journals accounting for 46.8% (464/992) of the retractions. Among the 161 journals, 148 are indexed in SCI/SCI-E. There is one journal with an SCI impact factor greater than 30, while the number of journals with impact factors less than 3, between 3–5, and between 5–10 are 37, 59, and 45 respectively. According to the quartile in category, there are 46 journals (31.1%) in Q1, 57 journals (38.5%) in Q2, 38 journals (25.7%) in Q3, and 7 journals (4.7%) in Q4 (Table 1 ). Table 1 Analysis of the characteristics of the journals involved in the retraction of miRNAs papers from Chinese scholars published from 2009 to 2022 Item Numbers Proportion(%) SCI/SCIE-indexed status SCI/SCIE-indexed journals 148 91.93% Non-SCI/SCIE-indexed journals 13 8.07% Impact factor > 30 1 0.68% 10–30 6 4.05% 5–10 45 30.41% 3–5 59 39.86% < 3 37 25.00% Quartile in category Q1 46 31.08% Q2 57 38.51% Q3 38 25.68% Q4 7 4.73% 5.Academic Discipline Distribution The disciplinary distribution of retracted papers is shown in Fig. 5 . Among the retracted papers categorized under Health Sciences, 478 papers spanned 23 different disciplines. Oncology/Cancer studies constituted the majority (54.6%, 261/478), followed by Gastroenterology (6.5%, 31/478) and Orthopedics (5.2%, 25/478). Discussion Research integrity issues are receiving increasing attention in the biomedical field. With the combined efforts of the public, publishers, and funding agencies, along with advancements in AI-assisted image comparison technologies, the number of retracted papers is rising[ 8 – 10 ]. Scientific integrity has also become a focal point of concern as the volume of publications by Chinese scholars has increased. Despite the remarkable growth in the number and quality of publications, the rise in retractions underscores a significant issue with research ethics[ 11 , 12 ]. Reports indicate that a substantial portion of fraudulent biomedical papers are authored by Chinese researchers, reflecting broader issues within the academic system[ 13 ]. Since their discovery, miRNAs have been a major area of interest in medical research, particularly regarding their roles in cancer biology[ 14 – 16 ]. Our findings show that a significant proportion of retracted papers are in oncology(54.6%), aligning with the overall focus on cancer research within the miRNAs field. The standardized research approach in this field—identifying differentially expressed miRNAs, validating them with qPCR, and elucidating their mechanisms via protein interactions—has unfortunately facilitated the production of fraudulent papers[ 17 , 18 ]. Our study also confirmed that the top three reasons for paper retractions are paper mills, duplication of Image, and concerns/issues about data. Papers originating from paper mill usually have unique features, such as first author from hospitals, geographical regions relatively concentration, and duplication of Images[ 2 ]. Additionally, our results show that the publication time, journals and publishers, disciplines, and regions of the retracted miRNAs papers all have certain characteristics. Even after being retracted, fraudulent papers may still be cited, continuing to cause harm to scientific research[ 19 ]. When citing and/or referencing miRNAs papers, special attention should be paid to carefully verifying the original data and checking websites like PubPeer to see if any researchers have already raised concerns. The drive for publication is closely linked to career advancement and financial incentives in China, creating a pressure-cooker environment that encourages unethical practices. The lack of rigorous oversight and penalties for research misconduct has exacerbated the problem. However, increased scrutiny and the imposition of penalties by the NSFC are starting to make a difference.The NSFC has introduced the 'Measures for the Investigation and Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Projects Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation,' which clearly outlines the requirements for medical ethics and research integrity for papers funded by the NSFC, as well as the procedures for investigation and related penalties for retracted papers. Various administrative departments have also issued similar policies, which not only clarify the penalties for violating research integrity but also supervise the entire research process to eliminate the conditions that foster academic misconduct. This year has seen a decline in retractions, suggesting that the heightened cost of misconduct may be deterring unethical behavior. Ongoing efforts to train researchers and enforce strict ethical standards are crucial for maintaining the integrity of scientific research. Institutions must continue to focus on transparency, accountability, and the promotion of genuine scientific inquiry. Conclusion The field of miRNAs research has seen a significant number of retractions, largely due to the ease with which fraudulent papers can be produced using standardized research methods in paper mills. Administrative departments and researchers should work together to improve supervision of every step from research to publication to ensure the authenticity of papers. When conducting miRNAs research, researchers should pay attention to retraction information and not be misled by problematic papers. References Berindan-Neagoe I, del Monroig P, Pasculli B, Calin GA (2014) MicroRNAome genome: a treasure for cancer diagnosis and therapy, CA. Cancer J Clin 64:311–336. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21244 C C-P, Js R, A R-R, Ds E (2022) Retracted papers originating from paper mills: cross sectional study. BMJ 379. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2022-071517 Mallapaty S (2020) China’s research-misconduct rules target paper mills that churn out fake studies. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02445-8 More (2024) accessed October 15, than 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023 - a new record - PubMed, (n.d.). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38087103/ Moylan EC, Kowalczuk MK (2016) Why articles are retracted: a retrospective cross-sectional study of retraction notices at BioMed Central. BMJ Open 6:e012047. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012047 Steen RG, Casadevall A, Fang FC (2013) Why has the number of scientific retractions increased? PLoS ONE 8:e68397. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068397 Jingzhou wang (2021) Characteristics and handling of papers withdrawn due to the paper mill. Chin J Sci Tech Period 32:1507–1518. https://doi.org/10.11946/cjstp.202109060710 Kocyigit BF, Zhaksylyk A, Akyol A, Yessirkepov M (2023) Characteristics of Retracted Publications From Kazakhstan: An Analysis Using the Retraction Watch Database. J Korean Med Sci 38:e390. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e390 Audisio K, Robinson NB, Soletti GJ, Cancelli G, Dimagli A, Spadaccio C, Olaria RP, Chadow D, Rahouma M, Demetres M, Tam DY, Benedetto U, Girardi LN, Kurlansky P, Fremes SE, Gaudino M (2022) A survey of retractions in the cardiovascular literature. Int J Cardiol 349:109–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2021.12.021 X W, N G (2023) Review of retracted papers in the field of neurology. Eur J Neurol 30. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.15960 Kharasch ED, Scientific Integrity and, Again M-Y (2021) Anesthesiology 135:377–379. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000003916 Threats to scholarly research (2024) integrity arising from paper mills: a rapid scoping review - PubMed, (n.d.). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35524149/ Else H (2021) China’s clampdown on fake-paper factories picks up speed. Nature 598:19–20. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02587-3 Lee YS, Dutta A (2009) MicroRNAs in cancer. Annu Rev Pathol 4:199–227. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pathol.4.110807.092222 Peng Y, Croce CM (2016) The role of MicroRNAs in human cancer, Signal Transduct. Target Ther 1:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/sigtrans.2015.4 Rupaimoole R, Slack FJ (2017) MicroRNA therapeutics: towards a new era for the management of cancer and other diseases. Nat Rev Drug Discov 16:203–222. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2016.246 Dong H, Lei J, Ding L, Wen Y, Ju H, Zhang X (2013) MicroRNA: function, detection, and bioanalysis. Chem Rev 113:6207–6233. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr300362f Zhang N, Hu G, Myers TG, Williamson PR (2019) Protocols for the Analysis of microRNA Expression, Biogenesis, and Function in Immune Cells. Curr Protoc Immunol 126:e78. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpim.78 Zhu H, Jia Y, Leung S-W (2024) Citations of microRNA Biomarker Articles That Were Retracted: A Systematic Review, JAMA Netw. Open 7:e243173. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.3173 Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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March.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"figures01.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8579411/v1/86907fd99bd96363c63da44a.jpg"},{"id":100366142,"identity":"0af62e28-9c4d-4297-ab2a-d06f142ebac8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 07:56:01","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":416905,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTop 10 retraction reasons of retracted miRNAs papers from Chinese scholars from 2009 to 2022\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"figures02.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8579411/v1/9705ada9b4eb1e9c0d7e0a04.jpg"},{"id":100134148,"identity":"639d5b9d-1b84-444b-a7d1-3cdd82959e09","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 10:32:01","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":331935,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eRetraction time delays of retracted miRNAs papers from Chinese scholars from 2009 to 2022\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"figures03.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8579411/v1/49c54e899251ca86da792134.jpg"},{"id":100134155,"identity":"9be48b39-94ab-4c12-8452-461d2681c339","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-13 10:32:02","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":385527,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTop ten publishers and journals involved in the retraction of miRNAs papers from Chinese scholars from 2009 to 2022\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"figures04.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8579411/v1/85f312112d11fad76bb37d59.jpg"},{"id":100366840,"identity":"cdcca2a7-0057-4007-b6f2-b87923cb3ad0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 07:56:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":441261,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe category of health science disteibution of the retraction of miRNAs papers from Chinese scholars from 2009 to 2022\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"figures05.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8579411/v1/552bafa44c61d2b32479a568.jpg"},{"id":100382261,"identity":"b0f27e39-afee-4e32-aa09-2f85b21c511b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 10:41:53","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2290411,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8579411/v1/9770dfa4-6c8e-48cb-b318-5224cabfcc4a.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eAnalysis of the retraction papers in microRNA field from Chinese scholars between 2009 to 2022\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules approximately 20\u0026ndash;24 nucleotides in length that play a critical role in regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. First discovered in the early 1990s in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, miRNAs have since been identified in a wide variety of organisms, including plants, animals, and viruses. MiRNAs have rapidly become a focal point in life sciences and medical research in China, with significant funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC), especially in clinical medicine and oncology. The first two decades of the 21st century have seen rapid growth in miRNAs research in China, as well as significant challenges in scientific ethics and research integrity. Investigations by publishers and journals have uncovered many papers produced by \"paper mills,\" with a significant proportion involving miRNAs research[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe number of retracted articles has increased rapidly in recent years[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. On one hand, this is due to the growing volume of publications each year. On the other hand, researchers can now publicly question and discuss studies on specialized websites like PubPeer, and with advancements in AI technology, it has become easier to detect image and data errors than ever before[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. The methods and reasons for retraction are also changing over years. Retraction methods have shifted from being primarily author-initiated to being driven by publishers and/or journals who actively investigate. The reasons for retraction have evolved from certain forms of misconduct to predominantly image duplication, compromised peer review, and the involvement of paper mills. \"Paper mills\" are organized \"international misconduct groups\" that profit by charging researchers fees to submit papers on their behalf to journals, facilitating publication, or selling authorship. The phenomenon of paper mills has become increasingly prevalent, particularly in China. According to data from the renowned whistleblower Dr. Elisabeth Bik and her team on the PubPeer website, they have been instrumental in the retraction of over 80% of papers associated with paper mills[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. The frequent negative news surrounding academic research has prompted the Chinese Ministry of Education to issue a notice in November 2023, titled \"Notification on the Self-Inspection of Retracted Papers by the Department of Science and Technology and Informatization of the Ministry of Education.\" This notice requires all higher education institutions and research organizations to conduct self-inspections and to penalize authors and institutions involved in academic misconduct related to retracted papers, aiming to steer scientific research back toward rational and genuine inquiry. To assess the status and characteristics of retracted miRNAs research papers published by Chinese scholars, this study utilizes data from the Retraction Watch database. By analyzing publication and retraction dates, retraction reasons, Journals and publishers, and related academic disciplines, this paper aims to comprehensively evaluate the scientific ethics and academic integrity of miRNAs research papers.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eData on retracted papers from Chinese scholars with \"miRNA\" or \"microRNA\" in their titles, published from 2009 to 2022, were sourced from the Retraction Watch database. The \"Country(s)\" option was set to \"China,\" and the publication date range was from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2022. The retraction notice deadline was April 8, 2024, and the \"Nature of Notice\" option was set to \"Retraction.\" Other options were kept at default settings. Data on the involved journals, such as their indexing in the SCI/SCIE database, impact factors, and quartile in category, were obtained from the Web of Science database and journal websites. The data were imported into Excel for analysis, and all figures were generated using the CNSknowall platform (\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ewww.cnsknowall.com\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://www.cnsknowall.com\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e1.Retraction Data and Distribution\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBy querying the Retraction Watch database, we identified a total of 1063 papers authored by Chinese scholars related to miRNAs that were retracted, with 992 unique entries after removing duplicates. The distribution of retractions over the years is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003ea. There was a notable peak in 2020, followed by a sharp decline. Among the papers, 116, 365, 246, and 157 were retracted from 2020 to 2023, accounting for 11.69%, 36.79%, 24.80%, and 15.83% of the total retractions, respectively. The regional distribution of retractions is depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eb, showing a correlation with population density and the number of hospitals, with Shandong, Jilin, and Henan provinces having the highest number of retractions at 182, 130, and 71 papers respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.Reasons for Retraction\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMultiple reasons were accounting for retractions, with the top ten reasons illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The most frequent reason was the involvement of paper mills, accounting for 479 retractions (48.3%), followed by duplication of Image (400 retractions, 40.3%) and concerns/issues about data (369 retractions, 37.2%). Other image-related issues include 'Concerns/Issues About Image' (223 retractions, 22.48%), 'Manipulation of Images' (52 retractions, 5.24%), 'Error in Image' (39 retractions, 3.93%), and 'Plagiarism of Image' (14 retractions, 1.41%). Other issues related to results and data include 'Unreliable Results' (282 retractions, 28.4%), 'Original Data not Provided' (207 retractions, 20.87%), 'Concerns/Issues About Results' (90 retractions, 9.07%), 'Results Not Reproducible' (61 retractions, 6.15%), 'Unreliable Data' (48 retractions, 4.84%), 'Duplication of Data' (45 retractions, 4.54%), 'Date of Retraction/Other Unknown' (34 retractions, 3.43%), 'Error in Results' (24 retractions, 2.42%), and 'Falsification/Fabrication of Data' (20 retractions, 2.02%). Notably, 238 retractions (24.0%) resulted from investigations by journals or publishers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.Retraction Time Delay\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe retraction time delay of 992 papers was 0-165 months (median,32 months). The distribution of retraction is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. A significant portion (77.8%) of papers were retracted within four years of publication, with the specific distributions being 157 (15.8%), 174 (17.5%), 258 (26.0%), and 183 (18.4%) papers for each year respectively. Sixteen papers were retracted more than 8 years after publication, with the longest retraction delay being nearly 14 years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.Publishers and Journals Involved\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigures \u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ea and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eb highlight the top ten publishers and journals involved in the retraction of miRNAs papers. A total of 42 publishers were identified, with the top ten responsible for 86.1% (854/992) of the retractions. There were 22 publishers with five or fewer retractions and 12 publishers with only one retraction. Retractions were spread across 161 different journals, with the top ten journals accounting for 46.8% (464/992) of the retractions. Among the 161 journals, 148 are indexed in SCI/SCI-E. There is one journal with an SCI impact factor greater than 30, while the number of journals with impact factors less than 3, between 3\u0026ndash;5, and between 5\u0026ndash;10 are 37, 59, and 45 respectively. According to the quartile in category, there are 46 journals (31.1%) in Q1, 57 journals (38.5%) in Q2, 38 journals (25.7%) in Q3, and 7 journals (4.7%) in Q4 (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalysis of the characteristics of the journals involved in the retraction of miRNAs papers from Chinese scholars published from 2009 to 2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eItem\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumbers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProportion(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSCI/SCIE-indexed status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSCI/SCIE-indexed journals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e148\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e91.93%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon-SCI/SCIE-indexed journals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.07%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImpact factor\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u0026ndash;30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.05%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.41%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u0026ndash;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.86%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.00%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuartile in category\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.08%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.51%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.68%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.73%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.Academic Discipline Distribution\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe disciplinary distribution of retracted papers is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. Among the retracted papers categorized under Health Sciences, 478 papers spanned 23 different disciplines. Oncology/Cancer studies constituted the majority (54.6%, 261/478), followed by Gastroenterology (6.5%, 31/478) and Orthopedics (5.2%, 25/478).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eResearch integrity issues are receiving increasing attention in the biomedical field. With the combined efforts of the public, publishers, and funding agencies, along with advancements in AI-assisted image comparison technologies, the number of retracted papers is rising[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Scientific integrity has also become a focal point of concern as the volume of publications by Chinese scholars has increased. Despite the remarkable growth in the number and quality of publications, the rise in retractions underscores a significant issue with research ethics[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Reports indicate that a substantial portion of fraudulent biomedical papers are authored by Chinese researchers, reflecting broader issues within the academic system[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSince their discovery, miRNAs have been a major area of interest in medical research, particularly regarding their roles in cancer biology[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR15\" citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. Our findings show that a significant proportion of retracted papers are in oncology(54.6%), aligning with the overall focus on cancer research within the miRNAs field. The standardized research approach in this field\u0026mdash;identifying differentially expressed miRNAs, validating them with qPCR, and elucidating their mechanisms via protein interactions\u0026mdash;has unfortunately facilitated the production of fraudulent papers[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. Our study also confirmed that the top three reasons for paper retractions are paper mills, duplication of Image, and concerns/issues about data. Papers originating from paper mill usually have unique features, such as first author from hospitals, geographical regions relatively concentration, and duplication of Images[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, our results show that the publication time, journals and publishers, disciplines, and regions of the retracted miRNAs papers all have certain characteristics. Even after being retracted, fraudulent papers may still be cited, continuing to cause harm to scientific research[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. When citing and/or referencing miRNAs papers, special attention should be paid to carefully verifying the original data and checking websites like PubPeer to see if any researchers have already raised concerns.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe drive for publication is closely linked to career advancement and financial incentives in China, creating a pressure-cooker environment that encourages unethical practices. The lack of rigorous oversight and penalties for research misconduct has exacerbated the problem. However, increased scrutiny and the imposition of penalties by the NSFC are starting to make a difference.The NSFC has introduced the 'Measures for the Investigation and Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Projects Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation,' which clearly outlines the requirements for medical ethics and research integrity for papers funded by the NSFC, as well as the procedures for investigation and related penalties for retracted papers. Various administrative departments have also issued similar policies, which not only clarify the penalties for violating research integrity but also supervise the entire research process to eliminate the conditions that foster academic misconduct. This year has seen a decline in retractions, suggesting that the heightened cost of misconduct may be deterring unethical behavior. Ongoing efforts to train researchers and enforce strict ethical standards are crucial for maintaining the integrity of scientific research. Institutions must continue to focus on transparency, accountability, and the promotion of genuine scientific inquiry.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe field of miRNAs research has seen a significant number of retractions, largely due to the ease with which fraudulent papers can be produced using standardized research methods in paper mills. Administrative departments and researchers should work together to improve supervision of every step from research to publication to ensure the authenticity of papers. When conducting miRNAs research, researchers should pay attention to retraction information and not be misled by problematic papers.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBerindan-Neagoe I, del Monroig P, Pasculli B, Calin GA (2014) MicroRNAome genome: a treasure for cancer diagnosis and therapy, CA. 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Nature. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02445-8\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1038/d41586-020-02445-8\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMore (2024) accessed October 15, than 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023 - a new record - PubMed, (n.d.). \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38087103/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38087103/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMoylan EC, Kowalczuk MK (2016) Why articles are retracted: a retrospective cross-sectional study of retraction notices at BioMed Central. 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Open 7:e243173. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.3173\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.3173\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8579411/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8579411/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene expression regulation. Since their discovery in the early 1990s, miRNAs have become a significant focus in life sciences and medical research, particularly in China. Despite this, issues of scientific ethics and research integrity have arisen, leading to a notable number of retractions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData on retracted papers from Chinese scholars with \"microRNA\" or \"miRNA\" in their titles, published between 2009 and 2022, were sourced from the Retraction Watch database. Data were analyzed using Excel and figures were generated with the CNSknowall platform.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 1063 retracted papers were identified, with 992 unique entries. Retractions peaked in 2020. The most common reasons for retraction were paper mills (48.3%), duplication of Image (40.3%), and concerns/issues about data (37.2%). Investigations by journals or publishers accounted for 24.0% of retractions. Most retractions (77.8%) occurred within four years of publication, with the longest delay being nearly 14 years. The retracted papers were from 42 publishers and 161 journals, with the top ten publishers accounting for 86.1% of retractions. Oncology/Cancer was the most affected discipline (54.6%).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDiscussion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe increasing volume of publications by Chinese scholars has highlighted issues of scientific integrity. The high pressure to publish, linked to career advancement and financial incentives, has led to unethical practices. While recent efforts by the NSFC to impose penalties and increase scrutiny have led to a decline in retractions, ongoing efforts to enforce ethical standards are crucial. Training and promoting a culture of transparency and accountability are essential to maintain scientific rigor.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe high number of retractions in miRNAs research is largely due to standardized methods that facilitate fraud. Increased oversight and enforcement of research integrity, coupled with training programs, are vital to ensuring the credibility of scientific research. There is hope that stricter penalties and greater attention to scientific misconduct will reverse the trend of rising retractions.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Analysis of the retraction papers in microRNA field from Chinese scholars between 2009 to 2022","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-13 10:31:57","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8579411/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"74f1d60b-9328-4a3d-a4ef-ce8858df637c","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-13T10:31:57+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-13 10:31:57","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8579411","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8579411","identity":"rs-8579411","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}