Dr Michael Johnston: Psychology journal controversy shows why professional bodies must stay out of politics

As a former academic, I know how onerous research publication can be. Before being published in a professional journal, an article must undergo peer review. Many articles don’t survive this process. Most require revision before both the reviewers and journal editors are satisfied.

Once an article has been published it becomes part of the permanent research record. Only when there is clear evidence of data fabrication or plagiarism should an article be retracted. Even then, both the article and the reasons for its retraction should remain on the public record.