Retraction patterns in Scopus-indexed publications from South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Morocco (2014–2023): a bibliometric analysis

Purpose: This study analyzed retraction patterns and regional nuances in the five African countries with the highest scientific output—South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Morocco—to inform integrity policies.Methods: Retraction dynamics were examined using data from Scopus, SciVal, and the Retraction Watch Database.Results: Substantial variation was observed in retraction rates, with Egypt showing an exceptionally high rate, nearly eight times that of South Africa, and reaching a peak of 35 retractions per 10,000 publications in 2022. This increase was strongly associated with collaborations with Saudi Arabia, as 75% of Egypt’s retractions involved co-authorship with Saudi researchers. Unreliable or fraudulent content remained the most common retraction reason across all countries, with paper mills and randomly generated content being major contributors. Although falsification and manipulation occurred, they were less frequent overall. Plagiarism was particularly prominent in research from Tunisia (29.6%) and Morocco (30.3%), while duplication was most common in research from Egypt (25.5%) and Morocco (24.2%). Fake peer review constituted a major problem in Tunisia (34.6%) and Egypt (31.1%). Authorship issues were most frequently observed in studies from Nigeria (19.0%) and Tunisia (21.0%), and ethical issues appeared to be relatively infrequent across the region. Retractions disproportionately affected Q1 and Q2 journals and spanned a wide range of disciplines, with medicine and engineering being the most impacted. Notably, retracted articles continue to accumulate citations after retraction, indicating persistent challenges in research integrity.Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for strengthened research oversight and expanded ethics training to address the concerning retraction trends observed, particularly in Egypt and in collaborative research with Saudi Arabia.