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Roje R, Reyes Elizondo A, Kaltenbrunner W, Buljan I, Marušić A. Factors influencing the promotion and implementation of research integrity in research performing and research funding organizations: A scoping review. Account Res 2023; 30:633-671. [PMID: 35531936 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2022.2073819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Promoting and implementing research integrity is considered the joint responsibility and effort of multiple stakeholders in the research community. We conducted a scoping review and analyzed 236 research articles and gray literature publications from biomedical sciences, social sciences, natural sciences (including engineering), and humanities that dealt with the factors that may positively or negatively impact the promotion and implementation of research integrity. Critical appraisal of evidence was performed for studies describing interventions aimed at research integrity promotion in order to provide insight into the effectiveness of these interventions. The results of this scoping review provide a comprehensive taxonomy of factors with positive or negative impact and their relatedness to individual researchers, research performing and funding organizations, and the system of science. Moreover, the results show that efforts for fostering and promoting research integrity should be implemented at all three levels (researcher, institution, system) simultaneously to deliver greater adherence and implementation of research integrity practices. Although various educational interventions aiming at research integrity promotion exist, we were not able to conclude on the effectiveness of explored interventions due to the methodological quality issues in the studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rea Roje
- Department of Research in Biomedicine in Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
| | - Andrea Reyes Elizondo
- Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wolfgang Kaltenbrunner
- Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ivan Buljan
- Department of Research in Biomedicine in Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
| | - Ana Marušić
- Department of Research in Biomedicine in Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
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Evans N, Buljan I, Valenti E, Bouter L, Marušić A, de Vries R, Widdershoven G. Stakeholders' Experiences of Research Integrity Support in Universities: A Qualitative Study in Three European Countries. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2022; 28:43. [PMID: 36042054 PMCID: PMC9427880 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-022-00390-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fostering research integrity (RI) increasingly focuses on normative guidance and supportive measures within institutions. To be successful, the implementation of support should be informed by stakeholders' experiences of RI support. This study aims to explore experiences of RI support in Dutch, Spanish and Croatian universities. In total, 59 stakeholders (Netherlands n = 25, Spain n = 17, Croatia n = 17) participated in 16 focus groups in three European countries. Global themes on RI support experiences were identified by thematic analysis. Themes identified were: 'RI governance and institutional implementation', 'RI roles and structures', 'RI education and supervision', and 'Infrastructure, technology and tools supporting daily practice'. Experiences of support differed between countries in relation to: the efforts to translate norms into practice; the extent to which RI oversight was a responsibility of RE structures, or separate RI structures; and the availability of support close to research practice, such as training, responsible supervision, and adequate tools and infrastructure. The study reinforces the importance of a whole institutional approach to RI, embedded within local jurisdictions, rules, and practices. A whole institutional approach puts the emphasis of responsibility on institutions rather than individual researchers. When such an approach is lacking, some stakeholders look for intervention by authorities, such as funders, outside of the university.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Evans
- Department of Ethics, Law, and Humanities, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ivan Buljan
- Department of Research in Biomedicine in Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
| | - Emanuele Valenti
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Bristol, UK
- Institute of Clinical Ethics, Francisco Valles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lex Bouter
- Department of Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ana Marušić
- Department of Research in Biomedicine in Health, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
| | - Raymond de Vries
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Guy Widdershoven
- Department of Ethics, Law, and Humanities, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Solomon ED, English T, Wroblewski M, DuBois JM, Antes AL. Assessing the climate for research ethics in labs: Development and validation of a brief measure. Account Res 2022; 29:2-17. [PMID: 33517782 PMCID: PMC8333187 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2021.1881891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The environment researchers work in influences their ethical decisions and behavior. A "climate" for research ethics in a research lab exists when members of the lab perceive that the group values and is committed to principles of research ethics. In this study, we aimed to develop a short, reliable and valid measure assessing perceptions of climate for research ethics at the lab level. The resulting measure, Lab Climate for Research Ethics, was developed using standard scale development guidelines. In a large sample of postdoctoral researchers (N = 570), we found preliminary evidence that the new measure has adequate internal consistency reliability. It was also correlated with an existing measure of climate for research ethics and was not correlated with social desirability, demonstrating evidence of construct validity. The new measure can be used in a variety of contexts, including research administrators seeking information about climate within labs across an institution and researchers who study lab environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin D. Solomon
- Bioethics Research Center, Division of General Medical Sciences, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tammy English
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matthew Wroblewski
- Bioethics Research Center, Division of General Medical Sciences, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - James M. DuBois
- Bioethics Research Center, Division of General Medical Sciences, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alison L. Antes
- Bioethics Research Center, Division of General Medical Sciences, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Campus Box 8005, 4523 Clayton Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63110
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Degn L. Integrating Integrity: The Organizational Translation of Policies on Research Integrity. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2020; 26:3167-3182. [PMID: 32840718 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-020-00262-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Responsible conduct of research and research integrity has become a key concern in both research policy and public media resulting in a number of soft law documents, such as codes of conduct at national and supranational levels. This article zooms in on the institutions that are supposed to translate these overall policies and guidelines into workable and recognizable structures for researchers, that is, the mediating layer between the policy articulations and the individual researchers and research groups; a perspective which has been notably lacking in the literature on research integrity. Document analysis demonstrated how research organizations translated and integrated demands for research integrity measures differently, and interviews explored how department heads made sense of these organizational efforts. Results show that department heads did not seem to use organizational policies in their sensemaking around research integrity. To a much larger degree, they used disciplinary norms, systemic pressures and other cues to construct the meaning of integrity. The heads of department articulated integrity as a "non-problem" in their own local context, rather, it was other departments and other countries that experienced lack of research integrity. This meant that the origin of the problem of integrity is located in the system, but to a large extent the department heads describe the solution of the problem to be in the culture of research. The implications of this dis-location and externalizing of integrity are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Degn
- The Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, Århus, Denmark.
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Li D, Cornelis G. Differing perceptions concerning research misconduct between China and Flanders: A qualitative study. Account Res 2020; 28:63-94. [PMID: 32718198 DOI: 10.1080/08989621.2020.1802586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In the field of research integrity, there has been increasing interest in the influence of culture on research misconduct. Yet, there is a lack of empirical study on how differently researchers from distinct cultural backgrounds perceive research misconduct. Hence, we used the qualitative approach to investigate and compare perspectives concerning research misconduct between Chinese and Flemish researchers. By means of 45 interviews we explored their perspectives on types, determinants of, and solutions to research misconduct. Our findings show elements of scientific culture shared by both groups, but also clear dissimilarities. The Chinese participants more often mentioned plagiarism and inappropriate authorship as examples of research misconduct, while Flemish respondents brought up fabrication and falsification. Research misconduct was associated with diverse determinants, though the Chinese favored the "bad apple" theory (more intrinsic), while the Flemish pointed to the "publish or perish" pressure and attributed misconduct to situational aspects (rather extrinsic). Accordingly, they proposed diverse strategies to handle this issue, yet education and training were recommended by both groups. This study confirms that research misconduct is the result of many factors intertwining and interacting, and suggests that cultural traits contribute to our perceptions of research misconduct and subsequent bias in that context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Li
- Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Language and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Brussel, Belgium
| | - Gustaaf Cornelis
- Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Language and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) , Brussel, Belgium
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Davies SR. An Ethics of the System: Talking to Scientists About Research Integrity. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2019; 25:1235-1253. [PMID: 30251235 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-018-0064-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Research integrity and misconduct have recently risen to public attention as policy issues. Concern has arisen about divergence between this policy discourse and the language and concerns of scientists. This interview study, carried out in Denmark with a cohort of highly internationalised natural scientists, explores how researchers talk about integrity and good science. It finds, first, that these scientists were largely unaware of the Danish Code of Conduct for Responsible Conduct of Research and indifferent towards the value of such codes; second, that they presented an image of good science as nuanced and thereby as difficult to manage through abstracted, principle-based codes; and third, that they repeatedly pointed to systemic issues both as triggering misconduct and as ethical problems in and of themselves. Research integrity is framed as a part of wider moves to 'responsibilise' science; understood in these terms, resistance to codes of conduct and the representation of integrity as a problem of science as a whole can be seen as a rejection of a neoliberal individualisation of responsibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Davies
- Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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