"I had no choice but to commit [research] misconduct," admits a researcher at an elite Chinese university. The shocking revelation is documented in a collection of several dozen anonymous, in-depth interviews offering rare, first-hand accounts of researchers who engaged in unethical behaviour - and describing what tipped them over the edge.
The article suggests researchers felt compelled to engage in misconduct to protect their jobs due to pressure from a Chinese programme aiming to create globally recognized universities by setting ambitious publishing targets.
"The article offers 'a glimpse of the pain and guilt that researchers felt' when they engaged in unethical behaviour," says Elisabeth Bik, a scientific-image sleuth and consultant in San Francisco, California.
Zheng Wenwen, responsible for research integrity in China, criticizes the small sample size of the study, conducted at just three elite institutes, out of the 140 institutions under the programme to create internationally competitive universities.
#research-misconduct #chinese-university-program #publishing-targets #research-ethics #pressure-on-researchers
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