Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession

<h3>Purpose</h3><p dir="ltr">Intellectual honesty and integrity are the cornerstones of conducting any form of research. Over the last few years, scholars have shown great concerns over questionable research practices (QRPs) in academia. This study aims to investigate the...

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Main Author: Ayesha Fahim (15231868) (author)
Other Authors: Aysha Sadaf (21633497) (author), Fahim Haider Jafari (20488352) (author), Kashif Siddique (10829394) (author), Ahsan Sethi (12058997) (author)
Published: 2024
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author Ayesha Fahim (15231868)
author2 Aysha Sadaf (21633497)
Fahim Haider Jafari (20488352)
Kashif Siddique (10829394)
Ahsan Sethi (12058997)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author_facet Ayesha Fahim (15231868)
Aysha Sadaf (21633497)
Fahim Haider Jafari (20488352)
Kashif Siddique (10829394)
Ahsan Sethi (12058997)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Ayesha Fahim (15231868)
Aysha Sadaf (21633497)
Fahim Haider Jafari (20488352)
Kashif Siddique (10829394)
Ahsan Sethi (12058997)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2024-01-31T09:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Questionable_research_practices_of_medical_and_dental_faculty_in_Pakistan_a_confession/29446040
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Biomedical and clinical sciences
Dentistry
Education
Education systems
Health sciences
Public health
Questionable Research Practices (QRPs)
Research misconduct
Academic integrity
Medical education
Dental education
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <h3>Purpose</h3><p dir="ltr">Intellectual honesty and integrity are the cornerstones of conducting any form of research. Over the last few years, scholars have shown great concerns over questionable research practices (QRPs) in academia. This study aims to investigate the questionable research practices amongst faculty members of medical and dental colleges in Pakistan.</p><h3>Method</h3><p dir="ltr">A descriptive multi-institutional online survey was conducted from June-August 2022. Based on previous studies assessing research misconduct, 43 questionable research practices in four domains: Data collection & storage, Data analysis, Study reporting and Collaboration & authorship were identified and investigated. Descriptive (Frequencies, Percentages, Mean, SD) and Inferential (chi square) statistics were calculated.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">A total of 654 faculty members responded. Every respondent reported committing at least one QRP in their career. The most common QRPs included deliberately failing to mention funding, publishing program evaluation data not meant for research purposes or approved by an ethical body, inappropriately storing identifiable information and non-disclosure of any conflicts. There was significant association of age, gender and academic rank with QRPs in ‘Data collection and storage’ and ‘Data Analysis’ domains.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">Medical and dental faculty members participating in this study are involved in a range of questionable research practices (QRPs) in Pakistan. Their confession might have contributed to the faculty developing self-awareness and reinforcing academic integrity. There is a need for reviewing policies and practices to improve research culture. Future research should explore the factors resulting in such practices.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: BMC Medical Ethics<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_c3c26052884f87332f418d08191a014f
identifier_str_mv 10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/29446040
publishDate 2024
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confessionAyesha Fahim (15231868)Aysha Sadaf (21633497)Fahim Haider Jafari (20488352)Kashif Siddique (10829394)Ahsan Sethi (12058997)Biomedical and clinical sciencesDentistryEducationEducation systemsHealth sciencesPublic healthQuestionable Research Practices (QRPs)Research misconductAcademic integrityMedical educationDental education<h3>Purpose</h3><p dir="ltr">Intellectual honesty and integrity are the cornerstones of conducting any form of research. Over the last few years, scholars have shown great concerns over questionable research practices (QRPs) in academia. This study aims to investigate the questionable research practices amongst faculty members of medical and dental colleges in Pakistan.</p><h3>Method</h3><p dir="ltr">A descriptive multi-institutional online survey was conducted from June-August 2022. Based on previous studies assessing research misconduct, 43 questionable research practices in four domains: Data collection & storage, Data analysis, Study reporting and Collaboration & authorship were identified and investigated. Descriptive (Frequencies, Percentages, Mean, SD) and Inferential (chi square) statistics were calculated.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">A total of 654 faculty members responded. Every respondent reported committing at least one QRP in their career. The most common QRPs included deliberately failing to mention funding, publishing program evaluation data not meant for research purposes or approved by an ethical body, inappropriately storing identifiable information and non-disclosure of any conflicts. There was significant association of age, gender and academic rank with QRPs in ‘Data collection and storage’ and ‘Data Analysis’ domains.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">Medical and dental faculty members participating in this study are involved in a range of questionable research practices (QRPs) in Pakistan. Their confession might have contributed to the faculty developing self-awareness and reinforcing academic integrity. There is a need for reviewing policies and practices to improve research culture. Future research should explore the factors resulting in such practices.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: BMC Medical Ethics<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4</a></p>2024-01-31T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1186/s12910-024-01004-4https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Questionable_research_practices_of_medical_and_dental_faculty_in_Pakistan_a_confession/29446040CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/294460402024-01-31T09:00:00Z
spellingShingle Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
Ayesha Fahim (15231868)
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Dentistry
Education
Education systems
Health sciences
Public health
Questionable Research Practices (QRPs)
Research misconduct
Academic integrity
Medical education
Dental education
status_str publishedVersion
title Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
title_full Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
title_fullStr Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
title_full_unstemmed Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
title_short Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
title_sort Questionable research practices of medical and dental faculty in Pakistan – a confession
topic Biomedical and clinical sciences
Dentistry
Education
Education systems
Health sciences
Public health
Questionable Research Practices (QRPs)
Research misconduct
Academic integrity
Medical education
Dental education