Scientific misconduct as a dilemma for nursing

Scientific misconduct--fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or other deviations from ethical standards--is not new or unique to any discipline. Although nurses have not been included in publicized cases of misconduct, nursing is not immune. Circumstances that may be related to misconduct such as pressures to publish and to earn tenure, inadequate supervision of young scientists, limitations of the peer review system, and excessive numbers of publications by an individual are present or could develop within the profession. Careful socialization of young scientists, modifications in tenure and promotion guidelines, and replication studies are suggested as ways to prevent misconduct within nursing.