Grounds for Ambiguity: Justifiable Bases for Engaging in Questionable Research Practices - PubMed

Affiliations

• PMID: 30259269
• DOI: 10.1007/s11948-018-0065-x

Grounds for Ambiguity: Justifiable Bases for Engaging in Questionable Research Practices

Donald F Sacco et al. Sci Eng Ethics. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

The current study sought to determine research scientists' sensitivity to various justifications for engaging in behaviors typically considered to be questionable research practices (QRPs) by asking them to evaluate the appropriateness and ethical defensibility of each. Utilizing a within-subjects design, 107 National Institutes of Health principal investigators responded to an invitation to complete an online survey in which they read a series of research behaviors determined, in prior research, to either be ambiguous or unambiguous in their ethical defensibility. Additionally, each behavior was paired with either an ostensibly sound or unsound reason for the behavior. Consistent with hypotheses, the results indicated that scientists perceived QRPs as more appropriate and defensible when paired with a justifiable motive relative to when paired with a clearly unethical motive, particularly for QRPs that are more ambiguous in their ethicality. In fact, ambiguous QRPs were perceived as categorically defensible when given a justifiable motive. This suggests scientists are sensitive to contextual factors related to QRPs' appropriateness, which could inform how institutions develop appropriate training modules for research integrity.

Keywords: Ethics; Integrity; Motives; Questionable research practices.

Similar articles

• In Defense of the Questionable: Defining the Basis of Research Scientists' Engagement in Questionable Research Practices.

  Sacco DF, Bruton SV, Brown M. Sacco DF, et al. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2018 Feb;13(1):101-110. doi: 10.1177/1556264617743834. Epub 2017 Nov 28. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2018. PMID: 29179623

• Prevalence of questionable research practices, research misconduct and their potential explanatory factors: A survey among academic researchers in The Netherlands.

  Gopalakrishna G, Ter Riet G, Vink G, Stoop I, Wicherts JM, Bouter LM. Gopalakrishna G, et al. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 16;17(2):e0263023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263023. eCollection 2022. PLoS One. 2022. PMID: 35171921 Free PMC article.

• Ethical Consistency and Experience: An Attempt to Influence Researcher Attitudes Toward Questionable Research Practices Through Reading Prompts.

  Bruton SV, Brown M, Sacco DF. Bruton SV, et al. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2020 Jul;15(3):216-226. doi: 10.1177/1556264619894435. Epub 2019 Dec 21. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2020. PMID: 31865855

• Essentials of research ethics for healthcare professionals.

  Aita M, Richer MC. Aita M, et al. Nurs Health Sci. 2005 Jun;7(2):119-25. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2018.2005.00216.x. Nurs Health Sci. 2005. PMID: 15877688 Review.

• Ethical considerations in international nursing research: a report from the International Centre for Nursing Ethics.

  Working Group for the Study of Ethical Issues in International Nursing Research. Working Group for the Study of Ethical Issues in International Nursing Research. Nurs Ethics. 2003 Mar;10(2):122-37. doi: 10.1191/0969733003ne587oa. Nurs Ethics. 2003. PMID: 12659484 Review.

Cited by

• Childhood obesity intervention studies: A narrative review and guide for investigators, authors, editors, reviewers, journalists, and readers to guard against exaggerated effectiveness claims.

  Brown AW, Altman DG, Baranowski T, Bland JM, Dawson JA, Dhurandhar NV, Dowla S, Fontaine KR, Gelman A, Heymsfield SB, Jayawardene W, Keith SW, Kyle TK, Loken E, Oakes JM, Stevens J, Thomas DM, Allison DB. Brown AW, et al. Obes Rev. 2019 Nov;20(11):1523-1541. doi: 10.1111/obr.12923. Epub 2019 Aug 19. Obes Rev. 2019. PMID: 31426126 Free PMC article. Review.

• Navigating the Science System: Research Integrity and Academic Survival Strategies.

  Reyes Elizondo A, Kaltenbrunner W. Reyes Elizondo A, et al. Sci Eng Ethics. 2024 Apr 3;30(2):12. doi: 10.1007/s11948-024-00467-3. Sci Eng Ethics. 2024. PMID: 38568341 Free PMC article.

• Fifty years of research on questionable research practises in science: quantitative analysis of co-citation patterns.

  Neoh MJY, Carollo A, Lee A, Esposito G. Neoh MJY, et al. R Soc Open Sci. 2023 Oct 18;10(10):230677. doi: 10.1098/rsos.230677. eCollection 2023 Oct. R Soc Open Sci. 2023. PMID: 37859842 Free PMC article.

• The Need for Greater Rigor in Childhood Nutrition and Obesity Research.

  Wood AC, Wren JD, Allison DB. Wood AC, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2019 Apr 1;173(4):311-312. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0015. JAMA Pediatr. 2019. PMID: 30801651 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Springer

• Other Literature Sources

  • scite Smart Citations