Chemosphere, a prominent chemistry journal published by Elsevier, has been removed from Clarivate’s Web of Science index after failing to meet editorial quality standards. This removal, effective from December 16, 2024, means the journal will no longer have its papers indexed, citations counted, or be assigned an impact factor by Clarivate.
Issues leading to this significant delisting stem from multiple concerns raised throughout the year. In December 2024, eight articles were retracted, and earlier in May, more than 60 articles published by Chemosphere received expressions of concern due to various editorial anomalies. These concerns included unusual authorship changes prior to publication and potential citation manipulation, as reported by Retraction Watch.
The journal also faced scrutiny for a controversial study published in September 2024, which reported high flame retardant levels in black plastic cooking utensils. The study gained widespread media attention but was later corrected on December 15, when the authors acknowledged miscalculations and clarified that human exposure to flame retardants was significantly lower than initially stated and well below the safe daily reference dose.
Clarivate’s decision to delist the journal, which had an impact factor of 8.1 in 2023, is a serious blow for both the publication and its contributors. Delisting affects authors’ visibility and can impact academic career milestones such as hiring, tenure, and promotion, as many institutions rely on Web of Science indexing as a performance metric.
In response to the editorial concerns, Chemosphere released a statement on December 12, emphasizing that a thorough investigation was conducted. The journal reported taking decisive actions to uphold editorial integrity, including article retractions and issuing expressions of concern where necessary.
The delisting serves as a reminder of the importance of rigorous editorial standards in maintaining the credibility and influence of scholarly journals in the global research community.