Lecturing on ethics leads to misconduct

Teaching the responsible way to conduct research might not always guarantee positive results on students and young researchers, according to an American study presented at the first World Conference on Research Integrity in Lisbon this month.

"Instruction promotes familiarity with policies but shows little effect on attitudes or subsequent misconduct and questionable research practices, whereas mentoring has both positive and negative impacts on behaviour," said Prof Melissa Anderson from the University of Minnesota, who conducted the research.

The study found that mentoring on ethics and research lowers the odds that an early-career scientist would engage in misconduct and questionable research practices, but mentoring on survival and the pressure and competitiveness of science could reversely raise the number of cases of research misconduct.

According to the study, mentoring on the art of survival in the research environment — intended to help students to compete or get ahead — is associated with more misbehaviour with the use of unethical methods, use of funds, peer review, fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism.

Meanwhile, instructions on ethical issues could possibly give pointers on how to manipulate data.

For the three-year study, Anderson surveyed nearly 1500 early-career and 1800 mid-career students about receiving instructions or mentoring on ethical issues in research.

"An atmosphere of cooperation does indeed diminish the likelihood to engage in misbehaviour. A sense of competition increases misbehaviour," said Anderson.

The result indicates a third of the mid-career students had never received any training on ethical issues while 15% of the early career students expressed the same feedback.

Anderson insisted training on ethics is useful but better instruction practice and teaching methodology are needed.

"We need a collective openness in the research culture, and an atmosphere where people are feeling comfortable in raising questions," Anderson concluded.