A PERCEPTION that rewards are not being doled out fairly may be fuelling a culture of professional misbehaviour by researchers at top US research universities.
Last year a survey by sociologist Brian Martinson of HealthPartners Research Foundation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and colleagues produced evidence suggesting that scientific integrity was threatened by a widespread culture of minor misdemeanours, not just a few cases of outright fraud.
They found that scientists often change the design or methodology of a study to suit a sponsor, suppress data, or fail to credit collaborators (New 杏吧原创, 11 June 2005, p 4).
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Now a survey of 3000 leading researchers by Martinson鈥檚 team has revealed a link between researchers鈥� willingness to compromise the integrity of their work and their perception of the fairness of the system. They report in the first issue of the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics (p 51) that those who believe grants or positive peer reviews are distributed fairly are less likely to commit research misdemeanours than those who think such rewards can best be gained through the old-boy network or by playing the system.
鈥淭hose who believe that grants are distributed fairly are less likely to misbehave鈥�
Co-author Raymond De Vries of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor says the finding should change policy-makers鈥� approach to scientific misconduct.
