The  frequency of questionable research practices in the domain of medical writing among the various health professionals of Pakistan: An analytical cross-sectional study

Shamima Abdullah; Zoha Wisal Khan; Saman Fatima; Nusrat Ali; Abdullah Tauqeer; Jawaria Abdul Razzaq

doi:10.53730/ijhs.v7nS1.14178

Authors

Shamima Abdullah BDS, MSPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Community & Preventive Dentistry, Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College, Multan
Zoha Wisal Khan BDS, M.Sc (Endodontics), CEO Dr. Zoha’s Clinics, Rawalpindi
Saman Fatima BDS, RDS, M.Phil (Public Health), CHPE (NUMS), MME Scholar (UoL), Senior Lecturer, Department of Medical Education, Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College, Multan
Nusrat Ali BDS, M.Phil (Biochemistry), Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, HBS Medical and Dental College, Islamabad
Abdullah Tauqeer
abdullah.tauqeer.awan@gmail.com
BDS, RDS, House Surgeon, Akhtar Saeed Medical and Dental College, Lahore
Jawaria Abdul Razzaq BDS, RDS, House Surgeon, Akhtar Saeed Medical and Dental College, Lahore

Keywords:

questionable research practices, ethical policies, academia, doctors, dentists

Abstract

Background and Aim: The vibrant cases of scientific misconducts have gained a significant attention in the recent times; however less obviously questionable research practices (QRPs) might be more ubiquitous and can thus ultimately severely affect the academic originality. The present study aimed to explore the frequency of questionable research practices among the doctors and dentists of Pakistan. Materials & Methods: The current study was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional one which included 108 doctors and dentists of different Medical and Dental Colleges of Lahore, Pakistan. All the participants were selected from academia; were briefly explained about the purpose of the study and finally informed consent was obtained prior to their incorporation in the study. The subjects included in the study were questioned about QRPs. The questionnaire included the following questions: 1) Refusal of research data sharing with legitimate authors? 2) Any author addition to research without their contribution? 3) Any honorary authorship claimed without contribution to research? 4) Have you eliminated someone who justified their contribution? 5) Have you submitted any publication data without the consent of other authors? 6) Any research paper submitted to more than one journal at a time?

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adeleye, O. A., & Adebamowo, C. A. (2012). Factors associated with research wrongdoing in Nigeria. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 7(5), 15–24.

Agnoli, F., Wicherts, J. M., Veldkamp, C. L., Albiero, P., & Cubelli, R. (2017). Questionable research practices among Italian research psychologists. PLoS ONE, 12(3), 0172792.

Artino A, Driessen E, Maggio L. Ethical Shades of Gray: Questionable Research Practices in Health Professions Education. Academic Medicine. 2019;94(1):76-84.

Awasthi, S., & Ranjan, S. (2019). Perception and attitude towards data cooking: A perspective of LIS research scholars. Library Philosophy and Practice, 2872.

Banks, G. C., O’Boyle, E. H., Jr., Pollack, J. M., White, C. D., Batchelor, J. H., Whelpley, C. E., et al. (2016). Questions about questionable research practices in the field of management: A guest commentary. Journal of Management, 42(1), 5–20.

Bedeian, A. G., Taylor, S. G., & Miller, A. N. (2010). Management science on the credibility bubble: Cardinal sins and various misdemeanors. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 9(4), 715–725.

Bouter LM, Tijdink J, Axelsen N, Martinson BC, ter Riet G. Ranking major and minor research misbehaviors: results from a survey among participants of four World Conferences on Research Integrity. Res Integr Peer Rev. 2016;1(1):17. doi:10.1186/s41073-016-0024-5.

Braun, M., & Roussos, A. J. (2012). Psychotherapy researchers: Reported misbehaviors and opinions. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 7(5), 25–29.

Bruton, S. V., Brown, M., & Sacco, D. F. (2020). 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, 15(3), 216–226.

Dhingra, D., & Mishra, D. (2014). Publication misconduct among medical professionals in India. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 11(2), 104–107.

Fanelli, D. (2009). How many scientists fabricate and falsify research? A systematic review and meta-analysis of survey data. PLoS ONE, 4(5), e5738.

Fiedler, K., & Schwarz, N. (2016). Questionable research practices revisited. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(1), 45–52.

Fraser, H., Parker, T., Nakagawa, S., Barnett, A., & Fidler, F. (2018). Questionable research practices in ecology and evolution. PLoS ONE, 13(7), e0200303.

Gardner, W., Lidz, C. W., & Hartwig, K. C. (2005). Authors’ reports about research integrity problems in clinical trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 26(2), 244–251.

Godecharle, S., Fieuws, S., Nemery, B., & Dierickx, K. (2017). Scientists still behaving badly? A survey within industry and universities. Science and Engineering Ethics, 24(6), 1697–1717.

Hofmann, B., Helgesson, G., Juth, N., & Holm, S. (2015). Scientific dishonesty: A survey of doctoral students at the major medical faculties in Sweden and Norway. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 10(4), 380–388.

Hofmann, B., Jensen, L. B., Eriksen, M. B., Helgesson, G., Juth, N., & Holm, S. (2020). Research integrity among PhD students at the faculty of medicine: A comparison of three Scandinavian universities. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 15(4), 1–10.

Kornhaber RA, McLean LM, Baber RJ. Ongoing ethical issues concerning authorship in biomedical journals: an integrative review. Int J Nano medicine. 2015;10:4837-4846. doi:10.2147/IJN.S87585.

Maggio LA, Artino AR, Picho K, Driessen EW. Are You Sure You Want to Do That? Fostering the Responsible Conduct of Medical Education Research. Acad Med. July 2017:1.doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000001805.

Ozturk, N., Armato, S. G., Giger, M. L., Serago, C. F., & Ross, L. F. (2013). Ethics and professionalism in medical physics: A survey of AAPM members. Medical Physics, 40(4), 047001.

Pupovac, V., Prijić-Samaržija, S., & Petrovečki, M. (2016). Research misconduct in the Croatian scientific community: A survey assessing the forms and characteristics of research misconduct. Science and Engineering Ethics, 23(1), 165–181.

Saberi-Karimian, M., Afshari, R., Movahhed, S., AmiriKeykhaee, F. F., Mohajer, F., et al. (2018). Different aspects of scientific misconduct among Iranian academic members. European Science Editing, 44(2), 28–31.

Tijdink JK, Bouter LM, Veldkamp CLS, van de Ven PM, Wicherts JM, Smulders YM. Personality Traits Are Associated with Research Misbehavior in Dutch Scientists: A Cross-Sectional Study. DortaGonzález P, ed. PLoS One. 2016;11(9):e0163251. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0163251.

Vera-Badillo FE, Napoleone M, Krzyzanowska MK, et al. Honorary and ghost authorship in reports of randomized clinical trials in oncology. Eur J Cancer. 2016;66:1-8. doi:10.1016/J.EJCA.2016.06.023.

Waseem U, Awan S, Malik KA, Javed D, Zafar S, Khan FA, Tariq A. Questionable Research Practices Among Dentists. Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Sciences. 2022 Nov 4;16(09):415-.

Xie Y, Wang K, Kong Y. Prevalence of research misconduct and questionable research practices: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Science and engineering ethics. 2021 Aug;27(4):41.