Retraction notice: Synthesis of new phosphorous-containing flame retardant and the properties of flame retardant epoxy resins

The publisher of Pigment & Resin Technology wishes to retract the article Zhang H., Gong X., Li Z. and Wang Y. (2021), “Synthesis of new phosphorous-containing flame retardant and the properties of flame retardant epoxy resins”. Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 50 No. 6 pp. 554–562, doi: Link to Synthesis of new phosphorous-containing flame retardant and the properties of flame retardant epoxy resinsLink to the cited article. It has been brought to our attention that there are concerns with some of the figures within the paper, specifically that Figures 5a and 5b feature areas that are identical, and that multiple references have been identified as anomalous and inappropriate. The authors were unable or unwilling to address the identified figure discrepancies satisfactorily or provide sufficient justification for the presence of those references in the article. As a result of these concerns, the findings of the article can no longer be relied upon. The decision to retract has been informed by Link to COPE’s guidelines on retractionsCOPE’s guidelines on retractions and Link to Emerald’s publishing ethics policiesEmerald’s publishing ethics policies. Emerald’s publishing ethics policies emphasise that the deliberate adjustment or manipulation of an image or figure to affect the interpretation of the data is unethical. Despite multiple attempts to contact the authors, the journal and publisher have received no response; the response of the authors would be gratefully received. The publisher of the journal sincerely apologizes to the readers.