Introduction

This page provides a quick look into the complex world of research integrity through links to recent stories.

The stories are organized chronologically, starting with the most recent. For each, we have highlighted a key issue or question and provided information on the main topic and relevant field of study. We recommend that, before beginning the Research Integrity course in earnest, you browse through some of the links below to gain an insight into some of the real problems researchers face.

Please note that articles marked with an asterisk (*) may be accessible only to those with subscriptions to the relevant journal.

This page is updated regularly: you may wish to bookmark the URL in your browser (https://epigeum.com/downloads/ri/ri_in_the_news). If you have come across a recent story in your subject area that you would like to share, do contact us and we will include it in the next update of this page.

Issue 1: March 2012

Case study

Article details and link	Comment/reflective question	Research Integrity area	Subject area
Inflatable artwork 'broke safety rules' M. Wainwright. The Guardian, February 24, 2012	Should artists be aware of health and safety rules?	Health and safety	Arts and humanities (Art)
Scientist who lied to obtain Heartland documents faces fight to save job S. Goldenberg. The Guardian, February 22, 2012	Learn more about the possible consequences of mixing personal and professional activities. Your professional career could be damaged.	Advocacy	Natural and physical sciences (Climate sciences)
Climate study gets pulled after charges of plagiarism D. Vergano. USA Today, February 22, 2012	Should senior authors be held responsible for plagiarism by an assistant? Read how this issue is clouding the climate-change debate.	Plagiarism	Natural and physical sciences (Statistics)
We're mostly wrong, but trust us: Our column on mega-corrections for Lab Times I. Oransky. Retraction Watch, February 20, 2012	Is deceptive image manipulation sloppy science or research misconduct? Read this story for how one case was handled. Pay particular attention to the comments.	Research misconduct (Image manipulation)	Biomedical sciences
Mathematicians organize boycott of a publisher T. Lin. The New York Times, February 14, 2012	Read how a blog post led to a major effort to boycott journals owned by one publisher. Should researchers get engaged in the economics of research publications?	Advocacy	Natural and physical sciences (Mathematics)
Amid lawsuits, toxicology journal corrects four asbestos papers for failure to cite author links to Georgia-Pacific A. Marcus. Retraction Watch, February 14, 2012	Is it important to declare conflicts of interest? Read what happened when research got caught up in a law suit.	Conflict of interest	Natural and physical sciences (Toxicology)
Deception at Duke CBS News. 60 Minutes, February 12, 2012	What would you do if you learned research misconduct may have led you to make a wrong medical decision? See what 60 Minutes had to say about deception at a major research university.	Research misconduct (Data falsification)	Biomedical sciences
Sloan-Kettering chief is accused of taking research* A. Pollack. NY Times, February 5, 2012	What could happen if you took research data you didn't own...? You might be sued for $1 billion.	Data ownership	Biomedical sciences
Scientific publications. Coercive citation in academic publishing* A. W. Wilhite & E. A. Fong. Science, February 3, 2012	What would you do to get an article published? Read more for an example of the sort of pressure you could encounter to bend the rules.	Publication	General (Science)
The ethics of brain boosting J. Wood. University of Oxford, January 26, 2012	Interested in enhancing your brain power? What ethical issues arise when you do research on brain enhancement?	Social responsibility	Biomedical sciences
Chemists should effervesce about their science D. Phillips. New Scientist, January 24, 2012	Should scientists take an active role in promoting research? Read one chemist's views.	Advocacy	Physical Sciences (Chemistry)
Too many given no right to refuse in medical trials H. A. Washington. New Scientist, January 23, 2012	The violation of the rights of human subjects enrolled in research are not old news. Check this article for examples of ongoing concerns.	Working with human subjects (Informed consent)	Biomedical sciences
Retracted: Dynamic behavior of polymers at high strain-rates based on split Hopkinson pressure bar tests Y. B. Lu & L. Q.M. International Journal of Impact Engineering 38(1): pp. 41–50, January 2011/40–41: p.68, Febrauary–March 2012	Articles are often retracted for reasons other than research misconduct. Here is an example of a retraction due to flawed methods.	Methods	Engineering
Fatigue syndrome study is retracted by journal D. Tuller. The New York Times, December 22, 2011	Could laboratory contamination and contested results lead to retractions and a short stay in jail? Read how events unfolded in a vitally important research area.	Laboratory practices	Biomedical sciences
Disgrace: On Marc Hauser C. Gross. The Nation, December 21, 2011	How do respected researchers get caught up in research misconduct? Some thoughtful reflections by a psychologist on how a fellow researcher got into trouble.	Research misconduct	Social and behavioral sciences (Cognitive sciences)
Report finds massive fraud at Dutch universities* E. Callaway. Nature, November 3, 2011	Another report on a major case of research misconduct in the social sciences.	Research misconduct	Social and behavioral sciences (Psychology)
Psychologist admits faking data in dozens of studies P. Aldhous. New Scientist, November 2, 2011	Read how one researcher's misconduct surprised colleagues and impacted students.	Research misconduct (Data fabrication)	Social and behavioral sciences (Social cognition)
It's not plagiarism. In the digital age, it's 'repurposing' K. Goldsmith. The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 11, 2011	If you think plagiarism is easy to define or universally accepted as wrong, see whether you agree with Goldsmith's line of reasoning.	Plagiarism	Arts and humanities (English)
U.K. Parliament panel reviews peer review D. Clery. ScienceInsider, July 27, 2011	What do you think of the view that '...policing publications for research integrity [is] not the job of peer reviewers...'? Follow the link to the full report to learn more.	Peer review	General
German politician loses doctorate for plagiarism S. Dowling. The Guardian, July 14, 2011	Another example of prominence leading to close inspection of early works, this time in law.	Plagiarism	Arts and humanities (Law)
'Ghostwritten' medical study alleged UPI.com. Science News, July 13, 2011	Seemingly harmless decisions can come back to haunt you years later, such as this case of alleged 'ghost writing'.	Conflict of interest/authorship	Biomedical sciences (Psychiatry)
The dangers of press releases C. Q. Choi. Scientific American, January 24, 2011	How should you publicize your research? This story looks at this issue from the perspective of a science writer. Pay particular attention to the comments at the end.	Research communication (Press releases)	General (sciences)

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