Misconduct Ruling is Silent on Intent
From The Embassy of Good Science
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Misconduct Ruling is Silent on Intent
What is this about?
This is a factual case in which a psychologist who is found guilty of scientific misconduct. However, it is unclear whether the mistakes in the investigated publications are deliberately and thus a result of data fabrication or whether they are unintentional. This causes some to question whether the decision to declare the psychologist guilty is the right one, while others agree with the ruling.
Why is this important?
This case demonstrates that it sometimes can be difficult to distinguish scientific misconduct from scientific errors. It shows that the definition of misconduct can be interpreted in different ways and it shows the importance of education of scientist to prevent ‘unintentional scientific misconduct’ and improve research integrity.
