The Dutch publisher Wolters Kluwer has scrapped some of its citation and study-registration requirements at a top-ranked surgery journal founded by the U.K. plastic surgeon Riaz Agha, Retraction Watch has learned. The move follows Retraction Watch's investigation on March, 2026 that found mandatory citation of reporting guidelines developed by Agha and published in the International Journal of Surgery (IJS) had inflated the impact factor of the open-access title, making it more attractive to authors and readers.

A blanket requirement to register all human studies before manuscript submission, contrary to recommendations from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, appeared to serve another of Agha’s business interests: a paid research registry he founded in 2015. A spokesperson for the publisher confirmed it had updated IJS’ instructions for authors and was continuing “to review and update policies across the IJS family of publications.”

Source https://retractionwatch.com/2026/04/07/wolters-kluwer-international-journal-surgery-changes-citation-registration-policies/

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