ORIGINAL ARTICLE Error publication (published erratum) in neurosurgical journals worldwide using PubMed during the last 30 years Ali Akhaddar 1,2 Received: 7 July 2020 /Accepted: 17 July 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Purpose The issue of error of scientific publications has recently attracted the interest of medical researchers. However, there was no similar evaluation of errata in the field of neurosurgical literature. The aim of this study is to evaluate published errata in neurosurgical journals and to discuss the strategies that can be used in order to reduce errata frequency and to prevent their dissemination. Methods A literature search of error publication in 28 main neurosurgical journals was performed using PubMed (1990–2019). Extracted data included authors’ name, chronology, country of origin, journal impact factor, subject area, research type, reason for published error, and source of responsibility. Results A total of 441 published errata were identified and analyzed. Most studies were published within the last 6 years. The majority of publications had one single reason for the published erratum. The mean amount of time between the original publication date of the paper and the published erratum was 6.72 months. The most common reason given for published erratum was that of authorship, followed by text content, figures, and tables. The mean published error rate was 0.81% (2014–2019). Conclusion Unlike other specialties, errors are infrequently observed in neurosurgical journals and mostly without altering the interpretation of study findings. However, improvement is still needed. With the development of online journal publishers and scientific social media platforms, new strategies must be studied in order to track and correct errors better and faster. Also, authors and publishers have to work better together in order to produce high-quality scientific papers. Keywords Bibliometrics . Correction . Neurosurgery . Publications Introduction “From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own” Publilius Syrus (85–43 BC, Latin writer) The good use of scientific writing requires precision, con- ciseness, and clarity. However, and despite its relentless battle to perfection, some scientific publications require corrections. An erratum is defined as a published notice correcting one or more errors or omissions in a previously published journal article. According to the US National Library of Medicine, there was no distinction between the terms “errata,”“correc- tions,” and “corrigenda,” because journal editors do not make differentiation between errors that originate in the publication process and those that result from errors of scientific logic or methodology [19]. Since 1987, the NLM (National Library of Medicine) added “published erratum” to the original cited article in order to alert users and provide link to the source of the erratum information [19]. Traditionally, the error publi- cations are recognized with the hider “Erratum,”“Correction,” “Corrigendum,” and “Addendum,” but sometimes (unfortu- nately), no mention is noticed on the title. While most errors were minor and referred to some aspect of authorship statement, some crucial errors may substantially alter the interpretation of study findings [20]. The overall goal of the erratum process is “firstly” to prevent error dissemina- tion for the interest of readers, collaborators, and users who may otherwise cite these scientific articles and “secondly” to minimize potential risks and negative impacts on patient care. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04824-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Ali Akhaddar akhaddar@hotmail.fr 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Avicenne Military Hospital, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco 2 Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco Child's Nervous System https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04824-y