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

Authors

Samuel V. Bruton, University of Southern MississippiFollow
Mitch Brown, Fairleigh Dickinson UniversityFollow
Donald F. Sacco, University of Southern MississippiFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-21-2019

Department

Philosophy and Religion

School

Humanities

Abstract

Over the past couple of decades, the apparent widespread occurrence of Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) in scientific research has been widely discussed in the research ethics literature as a source of concern. Various ways of reducing their use have been proposed and implemented, ranging from improved training and incentives for adopting best practices to systematic reforms. This article reports on the results of two studies that investigated the efficacy of simple, psychological interventions aimed at changing researcher attitudes toward QRPs. While the interventions did not significantly modify researchers’ reactions to QRPs, they showed differential efficacy depending on scientists’ experience, suggesting complexities in researcher psychology and the ethics of QRPs that merit further study.

Publication Title

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics

Recommended Citation

Bruton, S. V., Brown, M., Sacco, D. F. (2019). Ethical Consistency and Experience: An Attempt to Influence Researcher Attitudes Toward Questionable Research Practices Through Reading Prompts. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/16849