IEEE has retracted approximately 1,400 papers from its IEEE Xplore Digital Library following an investigation that identified violations of its publication principles. The review was initiated after an external study raised concerns about the affected articles. IEEE reported that the investigation used additional screening technologies and expert review to assess the concerns and complete the retractions within months of their identification.
According to IEEE, the affected papers represent less than 0.06% of its conference publications over a six-year period. The organization publishes more than 350,000 conference papers annually.
W. Clem Karl, IEEE Vice President of publication services and products, emphasized that protecting the integrity of the scholarly record requires collaboration across the research community, supported by technological developments and the involvement of subject-matter experts.
Steven Heffner, Chief Publications Officer and Managing Director of publications at IEEE, noted that trust in scholarly publishing depends on rigorous review and integrity safeguards. He also highlighted the need to strengthen screening technologies and expert oversight as challenges to research publishing continue to evolve.
IEEE has implemented several measures to improve publication screening and address potential research misconduct. These include expanded use of publication-quality assessment tools and screening technologies, collaboration with organizations such as STM Integrity Hub and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and engagement of volunteer subject-matter experts in investigations.
Additional measures include enhanced oversight and peer review procedures, updated education and publication ethics programs, and strengthened policies governing retractions and article removals. These efforts are intended to identify publication irregularities and support the reliability of the scholarly record.
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