Misconduct in Research Needs Urgent Global Attention, US Experts Tells Brisbane Conference

Misconduct in research is a world wide problem that needs to be urgently stamped out according to the Inspector General of the National Science Foundation of the United States, Dr Christine Boesz.

And the solution, she claimed at an international research conference in Brisbane today, is for the international community to communicate and work together towards a common cause.

At the inaugural Australian congress for the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS), that attracted 450 delegates from around the world, Dr Boesz said that while the problems of misconduct were not at “epidemic” proportions yet, they did require urgent attention from the international community.

“This is a global challenge that we should be very concerned about,” she said. “It is already attracting media attention which leads to an erosion in public confidence. It is therefore something that we need to pay attention to.”

Dr Boesz said that the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the US had seen an increase in as much as five fold per year of reported allegations of misconduct. This reflected the level of concern felt by institutions around the world and highlighted the need for all countries to work together to find a solution.

“There is currently an inconsistent approach to the solutions. Different countries have different legal systems and different cultures - however I don’t see this as a problem,” she said.

“I don’t know any culture that says it is okay to steal. The acceptance of wrong doing should be nothing to do with culture.”

Dr Boesz called for an end to what she called “ostrich management” when institutions “put their heads in the sand and blame everyone else”.

She also said universities have a huge role to play in helping deal with the problem. “Responsibility follows the funds,” she said.

Inconsistent standards have led to confusion - with many universities around the world taking too long to respond to allegations.

Dr Boesz said the US had moved towards a national united approach with the introduction of a White House policy in 2000 to standardise the definitions of plagiarism, fabrication and falsification of data.

She said that while there were still agencies that had not fully put the policy in to place, the largest agencies had done so and this had brought in the US had yielded favourable results.

“This is the way of the future,” she said. “We need to work with governments around the world. International co-operation does work.”

Dr Boesz felt that conferences such as the INORMS one were vital in bringing the issue of misconduct to the fore and in finding a solution. She urged delegates to attend others, bringing their attention to a global forum to be held in both Tokyo and Portugal in 2007.

“We all need to work together,” she said. “We can not do this alone.”

Dr Boesz leads efforts to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse, improving the integrity of NSF programs and operations and investigating allegations of misconduct in science.

The INORMS congress is running until August 25 at Sofitel Brisbane.

Queensland’s Department of State Development Trade and Innovation, the Australian Research Council, CSIRO National Research Flagships and the Australian Research Management Society are major sponsors of the INORMS congress.

Media contacts:

Colleen Clur, Compass Communications – 0418 253 340.

Images courtesy Tourism Queensland

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