Research Misconduct 

• Introduction to Research Misconduct  Topics, Discussion, and Group Work

• Dr Fadhl Alakwaa• fadlwork@gmail.com

Contents

1. Learning Goals2. Learning Objectives 3. Pre‐test 4. Lecture5. Post‐test6. Acknowledgment 

Learning Goal

• Increase the awareness of the research misconduct in the global research enterprise.

Learning Objectives

• To expand postgraduate student's knowledge,with irresponsible conduct of research.

• To explain research misconduct formaldefinition, types, impacts and socialconsequences.

• To train young Yemeni researchers withirresponsible conduct of research.

• To evaluate common misconduct for casestudy.

Workshop Questions? 

1. What is Research misconduct?2. What is the importance of research misconduct?3. How to avoid research misconduct?4. How often and why researchers do research 

misconduct?5. Who should detect research misconduct?6. What are the measures that should be taken if research 

conduct was detected?7. How to avoid research misconduct?

Importance of this workshop

Pre‐test• Please answer the questionnaire.

Research misconduct {FFP}

“Research Misconduct is: fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in  proposing, performing, or reviewing research,  or in reporting research results.”

• the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)

Falsification تزييف• Is manipulating ‐ research materials,‐ equipment, ‐ or processes,• or changing,• or omitting data or results

• such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.

Examples   

Manipulation of research materials, equipment or process

ExamplesChanging data

ExamplesOmitting data or results

Case study: Falsification  

http://ori.hhs.gov/case-four-accusations-falsifying-data

RichardDevelop his lab

Allenhad fallen on hard times

JohnAllen and Richard PhD supervisor

• Richard hires Allen as a favor to his old mentor (John).• For the first six months, Allan’s work is poor, and he resents

Richard’s supervision.• Allan produces a dataset that fits Richard’s hypotheses a little

too perfectly.• Richard questions him, and has a student gather some more

data, which do not resemble Allan’s data at all.• When Richard confronts him with this discrepancy, Allan leaves

the lab in a huff.• Allan’s letter was to the Dean of Academic Affairs. In it he

claimed that Richard had required him to falsify data and that much of the data Richard had published in the last two years was falsified.

• How should Richard respond?

Case study: Falsification • What factors might influence the way the Dean perceives this situation? Is it important for the Dean to take such allegations seriously, however illogical they may seem?

• What kind of documentation would be useful when dealing with a person such as Allan? When should such documentation begin?

• Should Richard inform others in the lab of Allan’s accusation? Should he seek their caseassistance?

http://ori.hhs.gov/case-four-accusations-falsifying-data

Fabrication  فبركة او تصنيع

• Fabrication: making up results and recording or reporting them.

• Cooking Data

Example

Case study fabrication 

• What shall you do to test the reliability of data?

• What are you procedures if you are sure data are falsified?

Plagiarism انتحال

• Plagiarism: the appropriation of another’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving proper credit.

Texas A&M University Libraries-Plagiarism

http://greenbergcd.hubpages.com/hub/The-problem-of-plagiarism-among-students

How to avoid Plagiarism  ?

http://tjsllibrary.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/new-legal-research-tutorials-on-how-to-avoid-plagiarism/

How to avoid Plagiarism  ?

http://ploughlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/08/avoiding-plagiarism.html

Misconception about Plagiarism

Case study: Plagiarism

• ORI found that Jayant Jagannathan, M.D., University of Virginia Medical Center engaged in research misconduct by including, in five publications, large amounts of text and an illustration that he plagiarized from publications supported by the NIH grant awards.

• Papers  retracted.• http://ori.hhs.gov/content/case‐summary‐jagannathan‐jayant

Research misconduct statistics 

Group activity 

• Why do researchers commit research misconduct?

Why do researchers commit research misconduct?

How is misconduct identified?

►Suspected and reported by a colleague►Failure to confirm research results by own lab or others

Group activity 

• Why should we be concerned about research misconduct?

• Why should we be concerned about research misconduct?

a. Influences research and clinical practice.b. Patients are put at risk by flawed research.c. Retracted work goes on being citedd. Waste of resources, human, and financial.e. Damages public trust in research/science.

Implications of research misconduct 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2014/01/15/medicine-or-mass-murder-guideline-based-on-discredited-research-may-have-caused-800000-deaths-in-europe-over-the-last-5-years/

Consequences (if misconduct is substantiated)

►Withdrawal or correction of all pending and published papers and abstracts affected by the misconduct

►Reprimand, removal from project, rank and salary reduction, dismissal

►Restitution of funds to the granting agency► Ineligibility to apply for Federal grants for years

Researcher Faces Prison for Fraud in NIH Grant Applications and Papers

Science 25 March 2005: Vol. 307. no. 5717, p. 1851

A researcher formerly at the University of Vermont College of Medicine has admitted in court documents to falsifying data in 15 federal grant applications and numerous published articles. 

Eric Poehlman, an expert on menopause, aging, and metabolism, faces up to 5 years in jail and a $250,000 fine and has been barred for life from receiving any U.S. research funding. 

The number and scope of falsifications discovered, along with the stature of the investigator, are quite remarkable. "This is probably one of the biggest misconduct cases ever," 

Poehlman, 49, first came under suspicion in 2000 when Walter DeNino, then a 24‐year‐old research assistant, found inconsistencies in spreadsheets used in a longitudinal study on aging. 

In an effort to portray worsening health in the subjects, DeNino tells Science, "Dr. Poehlman would just switch the data points." 

Group activity 

• How to avoid research misconduct?

How to avoid research misconduct?

• regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms.

• “To protect the integrity of science, we must look beyond falsification, fabrication and    plagiarism, to a wider range of questionable research practices”

• Institution education.• SCIENCE: Vol 435|9, p.737 June 2005         COMMENTARY    Scientists behaving badly

Questions?

Post‐test• Please Re‐answer the questionnaire.

Acknowledgement

•NAS•UST