If a paper has an expression of concern, treat it as a red flag that requires verification before citing or relying on its findings. An expression of concern means the journal or publisher has identified potential issues—such as data integrity problems, ethical violations, or methodological flaws—but hasn't yet completed a full investigation.
Immediate Steps to Take
First, check the journal's website for the official expression of concern notice, which typically explains what triggered the alert. This notice often appears as a banner on the paper's page or as a linked editorial statement. Understanding the specific concern—whether it's about data fabrication, conflicts of interest, or statistical errors—helps you assess how severely it affects the paper's conclusions.
Next, search for any updates or corrections. Some expressions of concern lead to full retractions, while others result in corrections or are eventually cleared. Look for the paper's DOI on PubMed, Retraction Watch, or the publisher's site to see if the status has changed since the initial notice.
How to Proceed with Your Research
If you're considering citing the paper, evaluate whether the flagged issues undermine the specific claims you want to reference. Sometimes concerns affect only one section or dataset, leaving other parts reliable. However, if the core methodology or results are in question, find alternative sources that cover the same topic without integrity concerns.
When writing, be transparent if you must reference a paper under investigation. Mention the expression of concern in your text and explain why you're still citing it (for example, if it's the only available study on a rare phenomenon and you're critically analyzing its limitations).
Verification and Alternative Approaches
Cross-reference the paper's findings with other published research. If multiple independent studies support the same conclusions, the individual paper's concerns become less critical to your work. WisPaper's Scholar QA can help you quickly verify claims by tracing them back to their original sources with a Chain of Evidence, making it easier to assess whether alternative papers provide stronger support.
Ultimately, expressions of concern exist to protect research integrity—treat them as opportunities to strengthen your own work by choosing more reliable sources.
