Retraction Under Pressure: A Case Study in Publisher Overreach, Misrepresentation, and the Compromise of Editorial Independence

This paper documents a concerning precedent in academic publishing: the retractionof an article from the Journal of Population Economics (Springer Nature, 2024) afteran independent editorial committee had concluded retraction was unwarranted. Thereversal occurred following a coordinated harassment campaign and publisher-levelintervention that cited “lack of robustness” as grounds for retraction. The publishedretraction notice compounds this breach by containing demonstrable factual inaccuracies.I argue this constitutes: (1) a misapplication of retraction guidelines, (2) aninfringement of editorial independence, (3) susceptibility to external coercion, and(4) violation of basic standards for accurate retraction notices. The case underscoresthe urgent need to protect editorial processes from reputational pressure and ensurefactual accuracy in corrective actions.