Witnesses to Research Wrongdoing

Abstract

Research wrongdoing undermines scientific integrity, occurs widely, and takes many forms. We interviewed 135 NIH principal investigators who reported witnessing and responding to research wrongdoing. They reported taking a variety of actions, including formal notification of institutional officials, peer shaming, and one-on-one discussions with their peers to address wrongdoing that ranged from improper attribution of authorship to falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism. Unexpectedly, administrative mismanagement in handling allegations appeared more prevalent than any of the other forms of wrongdoing reported. Institutions may lack effective or efficient processes for managing even the most egregious cases of research wrongdoing. To assist institutions in designing effective, nimble programs, we suggest resources from which institutional officials may draw.