Normal Misbehavior: Scientists Talk about the Ethics of Research

Area of Science:

• Scientific Integrity
• Research Ethics
• Sociology of Science

Background:

• Focus on protecting scientific integrity often centers on serious but infrequent misconduct: falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism (FFP).
• Researchers' perceptions of behaviors most troubling to the scientific enterprise are seldom solicited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore researchers' perceptions of behaviors that pose problems for the scientific enterprise.
• To identify common, everyday issues that researchers find troubling in their work environment.

Main Methods:

• Conducted six focus groups with 51 researchers from major research universities.
• Discussions lasted 1.5 to 2 hours each, exploring perceptions of scientific misconduct and work environment problems.

Main Results:

• Researchers are aware of FFP but associate misconduct more with mundane, everyday work environment problems.
• These common problems fall into four categories: data interpretation, adherence to scientific rules, collegial interactions, and production pressures.
• The organization of science contributes to both compliance and deviance from ethical norms.

Conclusions:

• Everyday "normal misbehaviors" are perceived as more significant problems by researchers than rare instances of FFP.
• Addressing the organization of science and its inherent pressures is crucial for fostering ethical research practices.