Page 90 - Academic and Research Book_WEB

Solutions to Prevent Research Misconduct

However committed and honest we are, our colleagues may not subscribe to the same principles as
we do and it is possible that the collaborator may indulge in fraud — resulting in our reputation being
tarnished when the fraud comes to light. The only solution is to prevent it from happening in the
first place. For this, we have to make it a point to select our collaborators very carefully. We must
read every reference that we are quoting so that we know for sure that there is no plagiarism. When
in doubt about any aspect of the study — be it on scientific grounds or ethical issues, we need to
withdraw from study and/or declare all possible conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Scientific bodies and governments in India must have an ombudsman and an Office of Research
Integrity, like in the West (Pai, op. cit.). These institutions must be filled with people of impeccable
integrity — something which can be achieved with relative ease, provided the will to do so exists.
Appropriate punishment must be meted out to those responsible for research misconduct; this
would work both as a punishment and a way to warn others. Directors and Deans must investigate
misconduct and follow-up with the appropriate action, no matter how distasteful it may be. Finally,
once again, prevention is better than cure. Many who indulge in questionable practices are not
even aware that some of their acts are not acceptable in the scientific world. Thus, there must be
undergraduate and postgraduate education in the various fields of research ethics.
One of the simplest principles to follow in research and indeed, in life in general, is the advice that has
come down through generations — Honesty is the best policy.

Ethical Clinical Research in Developing Countries

All developing countries face problems and situations that are unique to them and are considerably
different from the situation in the developed world. Angell (1997) and Emanuel, et al. (2004),
specifically reflect on ethical conduct of clinical research in the developing world.

Angell’s article focuses primarily on the ethics of using placebo and was written in the context
of offering placebo in HIV-trials. She denounces the research, which conveniently uses different
standards for the developing world compared to the developed world, under the guise of applying
“local standards of care” — even when the local standard of care is considerably less rigorous than
what is considered the acceptable standard in the developed world.

Emanuel, et al. (op. cit.) point out that because of various reasons — poverty, illiteracy, sociocultural
and linguistic differences, and the relatively weaker regulatory infrastructure in the developing world,
the ethical framework for clinical research needs to be robust but modified to reflect the reality.
Therefore, for multinational research, they present eight principles and benchmarks, which are self-
explanatory:

• Collaborative partnership
• Social value

• Scientific validity
• Fair selection of study population
• Favourable risk: benefit ratio
• Independent review

• Informed consent
• Respect for recruited participants and study communities.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND RESEARCH QUALITY | 79