\u201cI thought so, too, with new rules put in place on how to handle accusations and conduct investigations. But let me tell you about a case,\u201d I said. \u201cRecently, in our department, a very respected PhD student quit mid-way through the semester. I, like most of the staff. She was well into her dissertation and had a promising career ahead. However, after she left, rumors began to circulate that her advisor was the reason she quit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh?\u201d said Professor Wu. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I sighed. \u201cSupposedly, he was taking credit for her research by publishing it under his name. She had tried to go to the department head to switch advisors, but they told her it was too late to change. When she explained what was happening, her concerns were dismissed. Why would a tenured professor need to steal the work of a mere student? She was afraid that\u00a0 \u00a0her professor would ruin her career if she \u00a0denounced him, so instead, she quit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hurdle of Accountability<\/h2>\n
Dr. Wu spoke up. \u201cI can completely understand this. When I was doing my doctoral degree, few professors were well-known for this kind of unethical behavior, and all of us tried to avoid becoming their RAs because of it. But their papers were published in major journals, bringing fame to the school and department, so the administration didn\u2019t want to take action against them. However, the irony was the more they did this, the better their careers got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Kim shook her head. \u201cThe school is always afraid of a scandal, so they try to deny or shift responsibility for what is happening. The whistleblowers look like the troublemakers and suffer consequences far more often than the perpetrators. At my previous university, a professor was falsifying the data. The students in his lab tried to blow the whistle, but he failed them in his class in retaliation. The university covered it up. Most of them left or changed majors at great cost to themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Gabriel asked, \u201cSo what should someone do in this situation then<\/a>? Surely if they made the \u00a0conduct of the university public, then the university would be the one in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Jordan agreed. \u201cYes, this happened to a friend of mine. One of her colleagues was caught falsifying data after the paper had been published. However, the university acknowledged the problem because they had to, and fired the researcher who was caught. In the end, everyone applauded them for not tolerating misconduct, and their reputation improved.\u201d<\/p>\n I rolled my eyes. \u201cIf they had just reported it in the first place, they would have looked much better. We\u2019re all human, and everyone makes mistakes- when institutions try to pretend this isn\u2019t true, they end up harming people.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Kim, \u201cWhat is tragic about the scenario is that the student spent so much time and effort and now all of that has been a waste. So, how can we make our institutions better to promote transparency and encourage whistleblowing<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Wu replied, \u201cDid you sit in on the session by C.K. Gunsalus? She had some t fascinating ideas about this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d said Dr. Jordan. \u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d said Professor Wu, \u201cShe suggested that investigations on research misconduct should be transparent, with investigation reports made public by institutions. She also said we should have peer review for investigations<\/a>. Additionally, Universities can form consortia and review investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a fascinating idea,\u201d I said. \u201cIt would resolve so many of these problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Gabriel added, \u201cEven if you don\u2019t know how the institution will react, it\u2019s important to try to bring these issues to light. Misconduct harms not only institutions but researchers and science itself. We all fear allegations of research misconduct will contribute to public mistrust in science. But if we can show we are a community willing to hold ourselves accountable, we can counteract that narrative by highlighting misconduct and making problems public.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, this is a great discussion,\u201d \u201cBut I must be going. Enjoy the rest of the conference!\u201d<\/p>\n Have you ever encountered research misconduct? What are your institutional policies to handle it? How can we protect the whistleblowers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.<\/p>\nHow to Prevent Research Misconduct<\/h2>\n
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