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Research misconduct definitions adopted by U.S. research institutions
David B Resnik1, Talicia Neal, Austin Raymond
1a National Institute of Environmental Health Science, National Institutes of Health , Research Triangle Park , North Carolina , USA.
Accountability in Research
|October 3, 2014
Summary
More than half of U.S. research institutions have policies defining research misconduct beyond the federal standard of fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism (FFP). Newer policies and those at institutions with less funding are more likely to include broader definitions.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Research Ethics
- Scientific Integrity
- Research Policy
Background:
- The U.S. federal government established a uniform definition of research misconduct in 2000, encompassing fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism (FFP).
- Research institutions receiving federal funding are required to adhere to this definition.
- It remains unclear how many institutions have adopted misconduct policies that extend beyond the federal FFP standard.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent to which U.S. research institutions have adopted research misconduct policies that exceed the federal definition.
- To identify specific behaviors included in institutional policies beyond FFP.
- To examine factors influencing the adoption of broader misconduct definitions, such as policy adoption year, research funding levels, and institutional type (public vs. private).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of research misconduct policies from 183 U.S. research institutions.
- Coding policies based on thirteen distinct types of misconduct behaviors.
- Collection of data on institutional research funding, public/private status, and policy adoption year.
Main Results:
- 59% of institutions had policies that went beyond the federal FFP standard.
- Commonly included behaviors beyond FFP were 'other serious deviations' (45.4%) and 'significant or material violations of regulations' (23.0%).
- Policies adopted in 2001 or later (73.2%) and those at institutions with lower research funding were significantly more likely to exceed the federal standard.
Conclusions:
- A majority of U.S. research institutions have expanded their definitions of research misconduct beyond the federal FFP standard.
- The trend towards broader definitions is associated with more recent policy adoption and lower institutional research funding.
- Institutional policies play a crucial role in defining and addressing scientific integrity within the research community.
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