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How Taylor & Francis and GetFTR Enhance Research Integrity and Discovery

The Research Integrity Challenge

In today’s scholarly landscape, researchers access content through a wide range of channels including aggregators, syndication platforms, institutional search platforms, AI tools, reference links, and publisher websites. While the whole research communications ecosystem makes research more accessible than ever, it also introduces challenges. Retractions, corrections, and updates are increasingly common, yet these changes are not always visible to readers.

This can have widespread impact:

Researchers may unknowingly rely on outdated or inaccurate findings.
Publishers risk diminished brand trust and reduced value to the research community.
The scholarly record becomes fragmented and inconsistent.

Modern research is highly interconnected but the publisher remains the steward of the scholarly record and is responsible for improving discovery, access, and clearly communicating updates to the content in this environment. It is critical that content status updates (such as corrections, updates, or retractions) propagate in real time. Without this, researchers risk working with incomplete information, undermining trust and the integrity of the scholarly record.

The GetFTR Solution

GetFTR (Get Full Text Research) is a cross-industry initiative that provides a consistent, simple way for researchers to discover and access the authoritative, up-to-date content they are entitled to read (including free, open access or subscribed) directly from discovery resources and tools.

In May 2025, Taylor & Francis introduced GetFTR-powered indicators to its journals platform, one of the first publishers to offer the functionality. Taylor & Francis’ implementation of this GetFTR feature has enhanced the researcher experience by:

Displaying clear indicators when a cited article has been updated, corrected, or retracted.
Including retraction and update information directly in article references on Taylor & Francis Online
Offering a Document Status page with detailed information on content updates.

These features provide transparency at the point of discovery, building trust and supporting responsible research practices.

Benefits include:

Streamlined access to the latest version of record.
Reduced risk of unknowingly citing outdated or retracted research.
Improved confidence in the quality and accuracy of published content.

This is an example of the how the indicators are displayed on T&F Online.

Early Impact and Reader Feedback

Although the initiative is still rolling out, early feedback is encouraging with over half of Taylor & Francis Online users surveyed rating the feature 5 out of 5 for usefulness. Researchers have reported that signalling updates to the article at the point of discovery is highly beneficial, with one Taylor & Francis Online user commenting, “It saves me hours of cross-checking and ensures my work is based on valid information”.

A Call to the Scholarly Community

The benefits of content status visibility grow as more publishers participate. GetFTR fosters collaboration, standardization, and improved research integrity, helping the broader research community trust the accuracy of content wherever it is discovered. By adopting initiatives like GetFTR, publishers, libraries, and discovery platforms collectively strengthen the scholarly record and enhance the researcher experience.

“We would like to invite all publishers to join Taylor & Francis in championing GetFTR – when we work collaboratively we can strengthen the integrity, transparency, and connectivity of the entire research ecosystem.” Dianne Benham, Product Director, GetFTR

Taylor & Francis remains committed to improving the researcher experience and safeguarding the scholarly record. As a founding publisher in GetFTR, Taylor & Francis demonstrates leadership in connecting discovery seamlessly to research integrity.

“The integration of GetFTR into journal article references, informing readers when cited sources have been corrected or retracted, has been a significant step forward for transparency and research integrity. Initiatives like this from GetFTR are vital for maintaining trust in the scholarly record.” – Dr Sabina Alam, VP Publishing Ethics & Integrity, Taylor & Francis

Do get in touch if you would like to find out how GetFTR can support your organisation