SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCTS AMONG MEDICAL AND BIOMEDICAL STUDENTS: WHAT CAN INSTITUTIONS DO TO PREVENT THEM? Presented by: Emmanuel Balandya MD, PhD Lecturer, Physiology and Deputy Director, Postgraduate Studies Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

Reference Material Ethical Issues in Clinical Research: A Practical Guide. By Bernard Lo

What is Scientific Misconduct? A deliberate act of plagiarism, fabrication or falsification during conduct of research.

Plagiarism Definition – the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving them due credit. Published work Student’s write-up Therefore, the presence of even subclinical infection is a variable that may cause an overestimation of iron-deficiency anemia, especially in populations where infection rates are often high. Hence, the impact of infections is greater in children than adults as the child population is more susceptible to infectious diseases. Sales M. C et al, Rev Bras Hematol Hemater, 2011

Plagiarism Plagiarism check tools are available online for free.

Fabrication Definition – “making up” data or results and reporting them. Blood glucose (mmol/L) Control Drug “X” 12.4 8.5 14.1 10.0 11.5 9.8 6.8 7.9 13.6 10.4 15.0 9.2 12.2 9.3 Avg.

Falsification Definition – “changing” data by manipulating materials, equipment or data itself in order to get results you want. Blood glucose (mmol/L) Blood glucose (mmol/L) Control Drug “X” 12.4 8.5 14.1 10.0 11.5 9.8 6.8 7.9 13.6 10.4 15.0 9.2 12.2 9.3 Control Drug “X” 12.4 8.5 14.1 10.0 11.5 9.8 7.9 13.6 10.4 15.0 9.2 13.3 9.3 Avg. Avg. P = 0.0557 P = 0.0007

However…. The following do NOT constitute misconduct; Unbiased “data cleaning” prior analysis eg; removal of a data point reporting BP = 1100/75mmHg “Honest mistakes” due to laziness, carelessness or poor scientific methods Differences in opinion or interpretation

Scope of Misconduct Can occur at any stage of scientific research; proposal development, data collection, data analysis or report writing. Can be isolated misconduct or a combination of all three forms. Suspect misconduct when things look “too good to be true”; data collected too fast, results look better than expected etc.

Scope of Misconduct Note: A growing form of research misconduct is for students to “hire” other people to do part or all aspects of their research. Eg: Writing proposals Collecting and analyzing data Writing report This violates University academic regulations and output is prone to plagiarism, fabrication and falsification.

Impact of Misconduct False findings mislead the scientific community Wastage of money and time building up on invalid results If interventions are done based on false results, the patients and populations may be in danger Undermine contribution of research to socio-economic development Erode institution’s good image Missed opportunity to acquire research skills

What is the Root Cause? Perceived non-importance of research, especially among Coursework degree students Precedence from former students/graduates Lack of motivation on part of teachers (overworked, not well compensated for research supervision, students with poor research basics or interest, lack of means to impose tough measures on students) Coursework workload relative to time for research? Overworked IRB may miss transgressions? (especially if the student and supervisor submitted poor proposal)

What to do in case of misconduct? Have safe channels for “whistle-blowers” Conduct inquiry, lead by School/IRB etc Protect both the defendant and whistle-blower until verdict is out If guilty, issue penalty. At MUHAS, research misconduct is a serious offense punishable by failing the dissertation or discontinuation.

Preventive measures Educate the scientific community To both students and academic staff Importance of research at workplace for evidence- based practice Enhance supervisor involvement More time for one-on-one mentorship; research methods, data analysis, manuscript writing Conduct plagiarism check, regular data audits Visit student during data collection?

Preventive measures Role of Departments Role of Schools Role of IRB Organize departmental student presentations (done for postgraduates. Feasible for undergrads?) Role of Schools Effectively use the School Research and Publications Committees to scrutinize proposals Role of IRB Education to stakeholders; Strict enforcement of rules and regulations

Preventive measures Positive reinforcement? Publication of results, conference presentations Involve outstanding students in ongoing projects Showcase outstanding student research on University website, newsletter Initiate a research-based fellowship award for one undergrad and one postgrad student each year? Monetary incentives (for undergrads? Does it work?)

Thank You Questions?