When it comes to correcting the scientific record, chemists prefer to have a quiet word
Those surveyed even report introducing ‘errors’ into their work to satisfy reviewers
A survey of chemists’ attitudes to correcting errors in scientific publications shows most prefer to discuss them informally with colleagues and students or to write privately to editors. However, the study’s author suggests using online platforms and repositories to encourage more corrections to the public record.
Frédérique Bordignon of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris contacted 50,000 corresponding authors of at least two publications between 2020–2023 in American Chemical Society and/or Royal Society of Chemistry journals. Almost a thousand replied, a response rate of 2%.