Academic research dishonesty has gained momentum in the past few years with the advancement in communication technologies. With a few clicks, a dishonest academic can find services such as paying to co-author research papers or have an entire research paper attributed to him/her just by paying money and without any effort. Another way of cheating is to find a paper, apply a few changes in a tricky smart way, and submit it for publication. Since there is money at stake, some journals will accept it easily.
Few universities have become aware of this problem but the number of those who offer the "dishonesty" services have also increased raising the possibility of sustainability.
Academic research dishonesty has become more widespread than you may envisage. There has to be methods to curb such behavior by finding tactical tools to catch the "crook" red-handed. Academics must abide by an ethical or moral framework, otherwise a punishment awaits them.
In my opinion, the punishment ought to not be lenient. Only anticipated severe penalty can ensure research free of deceit or fraud. What do you think?
Dear Professor Artur Burzynski:
Thanks for your contribution. I appreciate your point of view in this controversial issue. In my opinion, plagiarism applies to the second type (which is changing a published paper in tricky smart way, and I may add "stealing" information from it without reference to it). But the first type is worse than that & it is buying by money "co-authorship or total authorship of a paper". The academic will go to the laboratory pretending to experiment for few minutes but does not do anything. Sometimes, a foreign academic will do all the research work but places the name of the head of the department or the dean of the college on the paper to keep his job ( which is under threat, i.e. sort of blackmailing). This probably does not occur in Europe ,as far as I know, but it does in other countries.
Dr. Artur , I think that your phrases (misery of the condition of science) & (we can just do our job) are remarkable. What follows a "successful" academic dishonesty is a false promotion for the deceitful & he/she will have a post which affects other academics around negatively plus a bad effect on the society & the world at large. I think dishonesty is the worset "sin" in this life. The sinner , of course, is living a very big lie !
But there is bad need to discover the dishonests & to punish them. I look for a mechanism or tactical tools to catch them... punishment was by dismissing in a certain university which I know, but other places made a cover-up or ignored the whole subject.
Prevention of scientific misconduct starts with education. Teaching BSc and MSc students the importance of maintaining high standards of scientific integrity also supports a second requirement for prevention: it facilitates communication about scientific (mis)conduct in research groups and organizations. In my country and elsewhere, universities have appointed senior academic staff members as confidential advisors on scientific integrity, to lower the threshold for scientists and students who want to confidentially discuss concerns or questions about scientific integrity.
Scanning manuscripts for plagiarism is a sensible 'early interception' measure but, in my opinion, already beyond the prevention stage.
Most universities have set up independent committees for investigating complaints and alerts about scientific misconduct. While serious misconduct can and should lead to disciplinary measures, I do not like the term 'punishment'. Let's use our energy and creativity for prevention and, as Dr Burzynski says, for doing our own work well, not to think up retaliatory measures. For many 'trespassers', being found out, under scrutiny and faced with the possibility of disciplinary action is already a traumatic experience.
Dear Professor Jack Pronk,
Your contribution is highly valuable. Starting with educating the high standards of conduct to BSc and MSc students is a wise move. Also having confidential advisors & independent committees, within the universities, are good steps in fighting dishonesty. Prevention is better than cure, ultimately. In my opinion, when one or 2 persons are "punished" & academics know that then the majority in a certain country or region will not dare to misbehave or "break" the rules.
Dr. Ali Daud, Thanks for your valuable contribution & for providing the link. I agree with you that (Academic Dishonesty) has a broader meaning & I may add , e.g. when an instructor goes to a lecture 5 minutes late & ends the lecture 5 minutes earlier, and if that is done repeatedly, then this is a dishonest academic behaviour. My regards.
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