After publication it was noted that this article [1] addresses the same research question and reports highly similar results and conclusions as a publication in the Journal of Arthroplasty [2]. There is substantial text overlap between the publications. The two articles were authored by different research groups and were under consideration during overlapping periods per the published article information. When asked about the similarities, the corresponding author for the PLOS ONE article commented that the work had been conducted in collaboration between three hospitals including the institution listed in [2], and that the authors of the two articles diverged in their work prior to publication. The PLOS ONE article [1] specifies that it reports a single-department study, and no collaboration or related work was declared for the PLOS ONE submission.
In reviewing this matter, we identified additional concerns for the PLOS ONE article [1]:
The author list was changed in its entirety between submission and publication. The corresponding author has affirmed that the published list of authors is correct.
Between submission and publication, the Methods and Ethics Statement were revised to indicate that the work had been conducted at a different hospital, yet the recruitment dates, patient numbers, and other data were not changed.
There is substantial text overlap between [1] and other published works, including [3–7]. With the exception of [5], these articles were not cited.
In light of these issues, which include concerns about redundant publication, text overlap, and the integrity of both the study and author contributions to the work, the PLOS ONE Editors retract this article.
The authors did not comment on the retraction decision.
Due to similarities with previously published content [2] that is not licensed for reproduction and distribution under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, Figs 1 and 2 have been removed from the retracted article.
References
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