Why retracted research keeps circulating

Science has formal mechanisms for correction, but correction is not the same as forgetting. Retractions can invalidate a result, yet the paper, its claims, and its downstream influence may continue circulating through citations, reviews, datasets, and public debate.

This is the motivation behind the FONDECYT Regular project Collective Memory Decay in Science: Patterns and Determinants of Forgetting Retracted Research. The project studies how scientific communities remember and forget invalidated research by combining bibliometrics, network science, natural language processing, and models of collective memory.

The core question is practical: when correction does not change the memory of the system, misinformation can accumulate inside the scientific record. Understanding that process is a necessary step toward better science communication, editorial policy, and evidence governance.