da Silva, J. A. T. (2020). Silently withdrawn or retracted preprints related to Covid-19 are a scholarly threat and a potential public health risk: theoretical arguments and suggested recommendations. Online Information Review.
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/OIR-08-2020-0371/full/html?casa_token=cVf73TDB6qoAAAAA:eWgfEQ5z4kmOazSE8Vt7f9lKY9EGjnt_Q4MBOYJAcHDx0XONeK4qCD8K2TV6Xo-ybAaXe3XZ2QQ_N5InzwdNe9pKe6hNxCDSpCQvjdLCRfdzmA_esFsb 

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- Researchers studied papers on COVID-19 that were retracted/withdrawn to determine whether there are specific reasons why they were taken down by using the keyword “withdrawn” to search for retracted papers on preprint servers bioRxiv and medRxiv on August 25, 2020. 1,357 and 171 results were located on each server respectively. Researchers then switched to the keyword “withdrawn covid” and obtained 27 and 83 search results on each server. 
- It was concluded that preprints were often given special treatment compared to peer-reviewed papers because a large proportion of retracted COVID-19 preprints were not reasonably labeled and explained, and some even disappeared altogether. 

Silently withdrawn or retracted preprints related to Covid-19 are a scholarly threat and a potential public health risk

- During the COVID-19 outbreak, preprints were especially popular among researchers because preprints can be published more quickly and freely online compared to traditional peer-reviewed papers that typically take between weeks to months to be published
- The lack of peer-reviews and careful examination of the data and results collected have led to false information being spread more rapidly
- Politicization of preprints, easier publication timeline, lack of a detailed screening, and pro-preprint lobbying are all potential explanations for increased use of preprints
- Silent withdrawal of preprints does not stop the spread of false information or the continued citing of those retracted articles 
- Study suggests that guidelines need to be put in place to prevent further use of preprints to spread misinformation regarding COVID-19

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