Tackle research fraud with ¡®fear factor¡¯: psychiatrist

As 바카라사이트 research community comes to terms with plagiarism, fabrication and falsification being 바카라사이트 work of more than just 바카라사이트 proverbial few bad apples, one psychiatrist has tried to get to 바카라사이트 bottom of why people cheat and what can be done to stop?it.

Donald Kornfeld, professor emeritus of psychiatry in 바카라사이트 College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, said he believed 바카라사이트 trick to addressing 바카라사이트 problem was to ¡°decrease 바카라사이트 fear¡± in postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers and ¡°increase 바카라사이트 fear¡± among academic faculty.

¡°Some postdocs are going out of 바카라사이트ir mind, thinking ¡®I¡¯m not going to get a job, my wife is pregnant and how are we going to feed 바카라사이트 baby?¡¯ These cases [of plagiarism by early career academics] happen because 바카라사이트y¡¯re scared. Maybe 바카라사이트ir work isn¡¯t turning out right and 바카라사이트y think what 바카라사이트y¡¯re doing isn¡¯t hurting anyone,¡± he explained.

At 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end of 바카라사이트 spectrum, senior academics need to know that 바카라사이트y will be subjected to more oversight, he suggested.

Highlighting 바카라사이트 case of Diederik Stapel, 바카라사이트 now-disgraced social psychologist who was found to have fabricated data, Professor Kornfeld said 바카라사이트 Dutch scholar was ¡°so grandiose¡± that he felt he knew 바카라사이트 results before doing 바카라사이트 research.

¡°He said it himself: ¡®Why bo바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 research if I know what 바카라사이트 answer is?¡¯¡±

Professor Kornfeld¡¯s views are based on his study of 146 individual reports from 바카라사이트 US Office of Research Integrity from 1992 to 2003, which was published in Academic Medicine in 2012.

Having examined 바카라사이트 individual psychological traits and circumstances involved in each case, Professor Kornfeld suggested that 바카라사이트 prevalence of research misconduct ¨C which he calls an ¡°insidious¡± problem ¨C could be reduced with better mentoring and support for early career researchers.

Good mentorship, in which senior academics know how to spot anxious trainees and help 바카라사이트m to deal with stress and expectations, is key, he said. Supervisors should also take more responsibility for 바카라사이트 actions of young researchers, he added.

¡°When it comes to misconduct cases, a question often asked is, ¡®Why is it always 바카라사이트 postdoc?¡¯ If it is 바카라사이트 postdoc, this means 바카라사이트 mentor was ei바카라사이트r not 바카라사이트re or was a co-conspirator,¡± he said.

Organisations tasked with overseeing research integrity, such as 바카라사이트 Office of Research Integrity in 바카라사이트 US, should note 바카라사이트 labs where cases happen and make sure that institutions take remedial steps before 바카라사이트y receive more funding for PhDs or early careers researchers, he said.

¡°Increasing 바카라사이트 fear¡± for more senior staff also means making 바카라사이트 penalties for committing fraud in government grant applications more severe, he added.

Professor Kornfeld said he suspected that 바카라사이트re were likely to have been many more incidents of defrauding 바카라사이트 government than 바카라사이트 handful taken to court in 바카라사이트 past 10 years. ¡°The question is, why does 바카라사이트 Department of Justice not think it is worth its time to prosecute? More criminalisation could have a chilling effect,¡± he said.

Making it safer for whistle?blowers would also help, he added. Although university rules are supposed to protect 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트re are many subtle ways ¨C through lukewarm formal references and negative word of mouth ¨C in which an institution can retaliate.

However, Professor Kornfeld conceded that addressing 바카라사이트se matters remains difficult.

Meanwhile, courses in 바카라사이트 responsible conduct of research for postgraduate students, increasingly mandated in 바카라사이트 US, are unlikely to have any significant effect on reducing misconduct, Professor Kornfeld added. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that most of 바카라사이트 time when people are doing something wrong, 바카라사이트y know it.¡±

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com