1. Public Perceptions of Scientists: Questionable Research Practices
January 28, 2016
Ed Krug
BioE room 101

2. An Unwelcome Discovery
Lack of integrity leading to findings of research misconduct are increasingly in the news
An Unwelcome Discovery
“…fabricating more than a decade’s worth of scientific data on obesity, menopause and aging, much of it while conducting clinical research as a tenured faculty member at the University of Vermont.”
University Suspects Fraud by a Researcher Who Studied Red Wine
“A charge of widespread scientific fraud, involving 26 articles published in 11journals, was leveled by…”

3. Is unethical behavior in conducting research getting worse or … is there a greater awareness of its impact?

4. Actual incidence of research misconduct (FFP)
is rather low – about findings published per year nationally (out of ~400 investigations) – but occurrence of at least one “questionable” practice is quite high – about 25% of all investigators (includes students, postdocs, and faculty)

5. Examples of QRP: • Neglecting negative outcomes
• Using inappropriate statistics to support one’s hypothesis

• Inappropriate research design

• Leaving out relevant controls

• Inappropriate re-use of controls

• Removal of ‘outliers’

• Conscious bias

• Unethical experimentation

• Peer review abuse

6. Self-admission of questionable research practices by academic psychologists
LK John et al. (2012). Psychol. Sci. 23:

7. Prevalence of doubting the integrity of research by others
LK John et al. (2012). Psychol. Sci. 23:

8. The ability to rationalize questionable research practices … do the ends justify the means?
“Consistent with the notion that latitude for rationalization is positively associated with engagement in QRPs, our findings showed that respondents who admitted to a QRP tended to think that their actions were defensible.”
LK John et al. (2012). Psychol. Sci. 23:

9. General Norman Schwarzkopf
“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”
General Norman Schwarzkopf
VS.

10. Evolution of the AIDS pandemic involved questionable research practices

11. “And the Band Played On” Main Characters

12. Make two lists as you watch the video:
Actions by individuals that seem wrong or questionable
Conflicts between individuals or groups that may have had the greatest impact on facilitating the current AIDS epidemic