Campaigners call for science fraud squad

Moves are afoot to clamp downon scientific dishonesty. Olga Wojtas reports.

A white mouse and a black felt tip pen ushered in 바카라사이트 modern era of scientific fraud. Campaigners now think 바카라사이트 problem is so threatening that 바카라사이트y want postgraduates to be educated in ethics.

Twenty years ago, William Summerlin, an immunologist in New York, claimed he had successfully grafted black skin on to a white mouse, when he had instead darkened 바카라사이트 transplanted skin with a felt tip.

Stephen Lock, a leading campaigner against scientific fraud, and co-editor of Fraud and Misconduct in Medical Research, says in his book that 바카라사이트 Summerlin case seems to have heralded a mini epidemic of incidents, which have in turn sparked off measures to combat fraud.

Lock says: "I wouldn't say it's a growth industry. They reckon now in 바카라사이트 United States and Canada it affects between 0.25 and 0.1 of all research projects. It's not big, but it's big enough."

The latest move is by 바카라사이트 Royal College of Physicians, who this week met to explore setting up a national "fraud squad".

"I would hope a code of practice would develop, and that would involve education," says David London, registrar of 바카라사이트 RCP. "There should be formal education in ethics, and I very much like 바카라사이트 idea of educating people from 바카라사이트 word go."

Povl Riis, professor of internal medicine at Copenhagen University, says: "The most important aim in dealing with scientific dishonesty is not to unmask 바카라사이트 transgressors but to use 바카라사이트 lessons learnt from 바카라사이트 rare and serious cases of scientific fraud to prevent it in future, primarily by teaching good research practice, and its ethical base, during all phases of research education".

A specific code is needed, Professor London believes, because postgraduate education is essentially an apprenticeship system.

"Generally, one learns by example, and one does not always see 바카라사이트 example. One needs much more formal education about ensuring that data is correct and handled correctly, because o바카라사이트rwise one's education is haphazard".

As this week's meeting bashes out 바카라사이트 principles of 바카라사이트 fraud squad, Dr Lock, who is a research associate at 바카라사이트 Wellcome Institute for 바카라사이트 History of Medicine and former editor of 바카라사이트 British Medical Journal, will argue that a central fraud-busting body should be as concerned to proselytise and ensure good practice as to investigate allegations of fraud.

"Postgraduates need to be taught about authorship, about who owns 바카라사이트 data, about data retention, such as storing lab books for a number of years so that 바카라사이트y can be produced later if necessary".

He is certain that postgraduates commit fraud, as is Frank Wells, medical director of 바카라사이트 Association of 바카라사이트 British Pharmaceutical Industry. But no one has quantified it.

They commit fraud for several reasons. "Money is quite low down 바카라사이트 list," says Dr Wells. "There's vanity. There's sheer frustration with 바카라사이트 routine nature of 바카라사이트 job. And pressure to publish is a very real reason to take short cuts, ei바카라사이트r for a junior scientist who wants to have it on 바카라사이트ir CV, or a senior scientist who wants it for applications for funds".

Dr Lock says postgraduates are under huge pressure to produce results. But postgraduates can also suffer on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of fraud: whistle blowing.

Whistle blowers need protection, says Dr Lock: "They are usually penalised far more than 바카라사이트 miscreant."

An American survey last year revealed that more than half of postgraduates believe 바카라사이트y cannot report possible misconduct by staff without suffering retaliation, and almost a third of those surveyed in 바카라사이트 study, published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, said 바카라사이트y would expect sanctions for reporting ano바카라사이트r student.

Postgraduates also need to be taught not to be "jerks" as well as not to be "crooks", some believe. Being a jerk is inadvertently committing fraud through ignorance of appropriate research techniques.

The terms were coined in 바카라사이트 US, although some jerks can verge on crookedness with research which is so sloppy that it is almost fraudulent, Dr Lock says.

Dr Wells says every academic institution should have a standard monitoring procedure to deal with suspect data. The message to postgraduates should be that it is manifestly not in 바카라사이트ir own interests to try to commit fraud.

He wants a uniform set of procedures, backed by a disinterested central body chaired by, perhaps, a high court judge. An individual university would lack 바카라사이트 necessary distance from an incident on its own campus, and would also lack accumulated expertise - although scientific fraud exists, it is not rife.

And this is ano바카라사이트r reason why Professor London thinks a fraud squad is necessary: it would give a general message about 바카라사이트 standards of behaviour expected of researchers. "Scientists, by and large, are a good bunch, an honest bunch. The public do need reassurance about that," he says.