Academic Dishonesty Returns to Cancer Research Lab

The Ohio State University (OSU) reported that one of its former star cancer researchers (who resigned in fall 2017) used false results fourteen times in eight reports ("University Is Quick to Disclose Misconduct." Science, April 6, 2018). Most notable about this revelation was that OSU was very forthcoming with this information almost immediately after concluding its investigation. The article mentions that OSU has been under fire for badly handling other recent scientific misconduct on campus including another cancer researcher who was the subject of a New York Times investigation.

Discussion Questions:

1. If you received millions of dollars to conduct research, would you feel obligated to report more promising results than you actually observed so you could continue to get funding? Or would you clearly state what occurred in your research? 
2. A university's reputation suffers harm and its research programs stand to lose external funding if researchers are not conducting and reporting results honestly. Do you think OSU was trying to repair damage from past incidents by reporting this story very quickly? Why or why not?
3. If you were a student researcher in a lab where misconduct was occurring, would you risk your reputation and career to report the academic dishonesty of fellow students and/or professors? Why or why not?

Sloppy Research Harms Your Reputation

What happens to a scientist's reputation when a journal has to pull an article because of questionable research practices ("How Retractions Hurt Scientists’ Credibility," MIT News, September 5, 2017)? Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers supported by the National Science Foundation and the Sloan Foundation found that with only one retraction or experience with an article being discredited, other articles by that author become suspect even though they remain in good stead. If articles by more famous scientists are found to be clear cases of incompetent research, their work cited by others drops even more precipitously.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does it make sense that well-known scientists experience more fallout if one of their articles is found to include obvious sloppy research? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think it takes years to establish a professional reputation that can be tarnished with one poorly researched article?
3. Do you think this situation holds true for other professions or jobs, where if you make one mistake on the job, your reputation suffers?

Professor Moves to Dean's Post Despite Multiple Incidences of Plagiarism

Because inadvertent plagiarism is not included as a research misconduct infraction in the institution's policy, a Brown University English department faculty member began a new job as an associate dean after her "unintentional" plagiarism had already surfaced ("After Plagiarism Allegations, Prof. Was Named Dean," The Brown Daily Herald, April 24, 2014).

Vanessa Ryan used over two dozen copied passages from other authors in her 2012 book that is no longer in print from Johns Hopkins University Press. She has apologized publicly about her errors, but also located "unattributed material in her dissertation" from Yale. The committee looking into her plagiarism while on the payroll at Brown acknowledged that she did plagiarize the work of others, but that her "honest error" was not considered "misconduct."

Discussion Questions:

1. Should an English professor know better than to make such obvious mistakes as copying others without giving them credit, especially in a book published by a well-known university press? If so, why do you think she committed such errors?
2. Her new administrative job is a temporary one for eighteen months, but should she have been fired for such a blatant mistake? Since she also acknowledged errors of attribution in her Yale dissertation, why would Brown want to continue to employ her?
3. She continues to work with students on research projects on a limited basis. If you were one of those students, would you want to ask if you could work with another research adviser that had a better academic reputation even if the completion of your work might be delayed by the change? 

Scientist Faked Data in Multiple Experiments

At least six instances of research misconduct were found in studies by a former Harvard psychology professor according to an internal university audit of his work and an investigation by the federal Office of Research Integrity (Boston Globe, September 5, 2012, "Former Harvard Professor Marc Hauser Fabricated, Manipulated Data, US Says"). Marc Hauser resigned his Harvard position last summer after a leave of absence and a faculty vote that would have prevented him from teaching. The main problems with his research stem from inaccurate data collection and reporting. He is now subject to greater limitations and scrutiny on any federal research he conducts for the next three years.

Discussion Questions:

1. When a researcher's work is found to be faulty in a number of cases, is it fair to suspect that all the studies he/she conducted may not be valid? Why or why not?
2. What happens to the reputation of all the students and researchers that worked with Hauser? Is their role in the problematic studies called into question as well? Or does Hauser's statement of responsibility for the errors absolve all the other researchers of suspected misconduct?