Investigating the links between questionable research practices, scientific norms and organisational culture

Brooker, R. and Allum, N. (2024) Investigating the links between questionable research practices, scientific norms and organisational culture. Research Integrity and Peer Review, 9. 12. ISSN 2058-8615 doi: 10.1186/s41073-024-00151-x

Abstract/Summary

Background: This study investigates the determinants of engagement in questionable research practices (QRPs), focusing on both individual-level factors (such as scholarly field, commitment to scientific norms, gender, contract type, and career stage) and institution-level factors (including industry type, researchers' perceptions of their research culture, and awareness of institutional policies on research integrity). Methods: Using a multi-level modelling approach, we analyse data from an international survey of researchers working across disciplinary fields to estimate the effect of these factors on QRP engagement. Results: Our findings indicate that contract type, career stage, academic field, adherence to scientific norms and gender significantly predict QRP engagement. At the institution level, factors such as being outside of a collegial culture and experiencing harmful publication pressure, and the presence of safeguards against integrity breaches have small associations. Only a minimal amount of variance in QRP engagement is attributable to differences between institutions and countries. Conclusions: We discuss the implications of these findings for developing effective interventions to reduce QRPs, highlighting the importance of addressing both individual and institutional factors in efforts to foster research integrity.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/125023
Identification Number/DOI	10.1186/s41073-024-00151-x
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Law
Publisher	Springer Nature
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item