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I was published by the IJARCS in 2011 (International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science) and was wondering if I should retract my article due to the journal being disreputable.

I am under the impression this journal is hurting my CV more than helping it, but to have it removed I need to show that it has a serious flaw in the research. The article can be found here:

http://www.slideshare.net/IanMalloy/l-2213-321470

Should I list the publication in my CV or not and if it comes up, it comes up?

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  • Possibly relevant: My paper was withdrawn from predatory journal... and What should I do if... predatory journal? and Is it ethical to withdraw a paper after acceptance... – mhwombat Feb 09 '15 at 13:05
  • So I checked the site for the journal, and the exact journal does not appear. This article was published in 2011, so it is beyond the ability to simply withdraw...I would need to demonstrate that there is a significant error in the research... –  Feb 09 '15 at 13:09
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    If you're asking us to review your work to find a flaw, that's off-topic for this forum. But if you want general advice on how to handle the situation, we may be able to help. – mhwombat Feb 09 '15 at 13:10
  • General advice would be perfect. And I appreciate the link.

    I am guessing I cannot just "gloss over" this publication in my CV? Would it be better to own the mistake and list it or not reference it at all in my CV?

     –  Feb 09 '15 at 13:11
  • I've adjusted the question to reflect the comments. –  Feb 09 '15 at 13:12
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    Regarding the CV listing, one thing to consider is that there is a presumption that papers listed in a CV are peer-reviewed. Typically the main problem with a disreputable journal is that its peer-review process is a sham, so if you believe that to be the case here, one could argue that you should omit it from your CV as it is not really peer reviewed. – Nate Eldredge Feb 09 '15 at 15:34
  • Fake journals will not withdraw your publication, regardless of the reason you give. They have no monetary interest in doing so, and probably need your paper to lure other researchers into their scam. There is no problem in not listing it in your CV though. – Cape Code Feb 09 '15 at 16:05

1 Answers1

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I don't know of any journal that one could expect to accept "I don't like your journal any more" as a legitimate reason for retraction: a good journal would probably just scoff at you, while a crappy or predatory journal is unlikely to meaningfully respond to any request for retraction, no matter how legitimate. Therefore, I don't think you should try to retract it, but simply to drown out your early mistakes over time with subsequent good work.

As for whether to leave it on your CV:

  • If you have reason to believe that this journal is a sham that does not actually peer review, then I think that @NateEldredge is right: you can leave it off of your CV entirely or (better), move it to a section on published non-peer-reviewed work, much as you would list an arXiv publication.
  • If the journal is simply crappy, however, I think you're stuck with it. You really did publish there, and no matter how crappy, it's still an archived journal publication.
jakebeal
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    If it really is not peer reviewed, but it would be unethical to claim that without proof that it is so. – user6726 Feb 09 '15 at 16:33