Research Ethics – Open Learning

Research Misconduct

Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity

Responsible Conduct of Research 2023

Conducting scientific work 

Plan, carry out and document scientific activities carefully and, where possible, in accordance with the principles of open science. Include previous research in the planning process. Apply for funding for scientific activities truthfully and use the funds allocated to the activities as agreed. 

Research Misconduct is defined as:

Research misconduct distorts research findings and misleads the research community, decision-makers or the general public. In addition, it weakens the value of scientific work, its results or outputs and the appreciation of science while harming the other authors and participants in scientific work.

Fabrication refers to presenting fake observations, research data or results. For example when the observations presented in a scientific report have not been made in the manner or with the methods described in the report. 

Falsification is unjustified modification of research data. Falsification of observations refers to modifying and presenting original observations so that the results based on those observations are distorted. The falsification of results refers to the unfounded modification or selection of results. Falsification can be found in publications, manuscripts intended for publication, educational materials or funding applications. Falsification also refers to the omission of results or information that is essential for the conclusions. 

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Transcript

Handout

C1. Quiz - Research Misconduct 

C1.1. Case Study - Colleague "X"

C1.2. Case Study - Potential Misconduct and Peer-Review

C1.3. Case Study - An unsuccessful grant application

C1. Optional Reflective Activity - Misconduct 

Resources

• Faneli (2009): How Many Scientists Fabricate and Falsify Research? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survey Data. PLoS ONE4(5):e5738
• Fang etl. al. Misconduct accounts for the majority of retracted scientific publications, PNAS
• Wicherts Jelte M. et. al. (2016): Degrees of Freedom in Planning, Running, Analyzing, and Reporting Psychological Studies: A Checklist to Avoid p-Hacking. Frontiers in Psychology, 7:16.  Article on how to avoid falsification when it comes to statistics and setting up your research. Written for psychologists but contains great advice for anyone collecting and analysing data.