Misconduct in research: a descriptive survey of attitudes, perceptions and associated factors in a developing country
Misconduct in research: a descriptive survey of attitudes, perceptions and associated factors in a developing country
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DOI：
10.1186/1472-6939-15-25
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发表时间：
2014-03-25
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Rossouw, Theresa
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Okonta, Patrick I.;Rossouw, Theresa
背景：研究中的不当行为玷污了研究机构的声誉、可信度和诚信。对研究或科学不端行为的研究在发展中国家仍然是新鲜事物。在这项研究中，我们报告了尼日利亚一组研究人员的态度、认知和与工作环境相关的因素，他们被认为与研究不端行为有关。方法：使用修订的科学不端行为问卷(SMQ-R)对参加科学会议的研究人员进行调查。使用所有定量数据的频率和比例对单个项目进行了初步描述性分析。此后，Likert量表反应被转化为二分反应。对关联性进行适当的Fisher精确检验。结果：一半(50.4%)的受访者知道有一位同事行为不端，定义为“不遵守规章制度、指导方针和公认的职业守则或规范”。超过88%的研究人员担心他们机构中普遍存在的不端行为，96.2%的人认为在他们的工作场所发生了一种或多种形式的科学不端行为。超过一半(52.7%)的人认为在他们的工作环境中对科学不端行为的惩罚程度较低。此外，大多数人(56.1%)认为在他们的工作环境中因科学不端行为被抓的机会很低。结论：尼日利亚的研究人员认为科学不端行为在他们的机构中很常见，但担心科学不端行为对科研可信度的负面影响。我们建议研究人员被赋予必要的知识和美德，以进行自我监管，以促进研究的完整性。然而，研究机构也应发挥其作用，培养负责任的研究道德，阻止不当行为。
Background: Misconduct in research tarnishes the reputation, credibility and integrity of research institutions. Studies on research or scientific misconduct are still novel in developing countries. In this study, we report on the attitudes, perceptions and factors related to the work environment thought to be associated with research misconduct in a group of researchers in Nigeria - a developing country.Method: A survey of researchers attending a scientific conference was done using an adapted Scientific Misconduct Questionnaire-Revised (SMQ-R). Initial descriptive analysis of individual items using frequencies and proportions for all quantitative data was performed. Thereafter, Likert scale responses were transformed into dichotomous responses. Fisher exact test was performed for associations as appropriate. A two-tailed p-value of less than 0.05 was accepted as significant.Result: Half of the respondents (50.4%) were aware of a colleague who had committed misconduct, defined as "non-adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms". Over 88% of the researchers were concerned about the perceived amount of misconduct prevalent in their institution and 96.2% believed that one or more forms of scientific misconduct had occurred in their workplace. More than half (52.7%) rated the severity of penalties for scientific misconduct in their work environment as low. Furthermore, the majority (56.1%) were of the view that the chance of getting caught for scientific misconduct in their work environment was low.Conclusion: Researchers in Nigeria perceive that scientific misconduct is commonplace in their institutions, but are however worried about the negative effects of scientific misconduct on the credibility of scientific research. We recommend that researchers be empowered with the knowledge and virtues necessary for self-regulation that advance research integrity. Research institutions should however also step into their role of fostering a responsible research ethic and discouraging misconduct.