Study: Under Pressure, More Scientists Are Falsifying Research
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The number of scientists committing fraud in their research is on the rise, according to a new report.
There's growing pressure to publish papers quickly and receive dwindling research dollars, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and that is causing more scientists to publish fraudulent papers.
Dr. Frank Rauscher, deputy director of the Wistar Institute Cancer Center in West Philadelphia, notes that if someone is intent on manipulating data, it's hard to prevent. But, he adds, schools are now taking steps to keep researchers honest.
"Almost all PhD students, even before they start a PhD program, have mandatory ethics training," he tells KYW Newsradio. "This must sign off upon, and all of us as professors also must take mandatory ethics training, sometimes yearly."
He says it's important to point out that while the problem is on the rise, the number of scientists involved in falsifying research is very, very low.
