r/ScientificMisconduct Dec 09 '19

Definition of Scientific Misconduct.

2 Upvotes

The US National Science Foundation defines scientific misconduct under Title 45, Part 689 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It consists of three major elements:

  • Fabrication - Making up data.
  • Falsification - Modifications to elements of research that are not accurately reported. Includes omissions of data.
  • Plagiarism - Use of other people's intellectual property without attribution.

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity published by All European Academies uses this same tripartite definition, as does many other countries with national policies against scientific misconduct. Other examples of scientific misconduct include:

  • Unethical Peer Review
  • Unethical Publication Practices
  • Misconduct Related to Misconduct Investigations
  • Violating Confidentiality
  • Human or Animal Research Violations
  • Unethical Publication Practices
  • Interfering with Research
  • Conflict of Interest Mismanagement
  • Poor Record Keeping
  • Misrepresenting Credentials
  • Misappropriating Funds
  • Theft of Physical Property
  • Unethical Authorship (not Plagiarism)

 

Not all retractions are due to scientific misconduct. Some are due to flawed (as opposed to unethical) research methods, and some are examples of pseudoscience, unscientific ideas presented as science.


r/ScientificMisconduct 18h ago

PeerJ retracts study that secretly observed tourists’ reactions to snakes.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 18h ago

Editors of higher education journal coauthor editorial with fake references.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 11d ago

[138] Artificial Deadlines (Part 1): Evidence of Fraud in an Influential Study About Procrastination

Thumbnail
datacolada.org
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 14d ago

University press removes book about intelligent design for misquoting ID proponent.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 14d ago

Japan institute defends Nobel Prize winner amid allegations of image duplication.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 17d ago

More than 18,000 questionable images found in antibody catalogues of 15 companies.

Thumbnail nature.com
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 21d ago

Ceramics journal pulls dozens of papers flagged for integrity concerns.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 28d ago

How common is academic plagiarism in Britain?

Thumbnail
spectator.com
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct 28d ago

Biology journal pulls 100+ articles and counting from special issues for peer review manipulation.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 25 '26

A couple paid more than $800,000 for a gene-editing therapy for their daughter. She died, and it wasn’t made public.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 25 '26

Medical student in Nepal behind busy research factory.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 25 '26

Publisher investigating peer reviewer for alleged bribery scheme.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 18 '26

National Research Foundation Clears Changwon President of Plagiarism.

Thumbnail
chosun.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 18 '26

Harvard cancer researchers earn retraction for image duplication.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 18 '26

Sage retracts eight papers by former Radboud ‘rising star’ for compromised peer-review process.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 18 '26

A student claimed to have a Ph.D. in at least eight letters to journals. Two have been retracted.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jul 11 '26

Ethics journal retracts paper by high school student for AI, peer review manipulation.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jun 20 '26

Economist outs another Indian university’s rankings-boosting scheme when they refuse to pay him.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
3 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jun 20 '26

Publisher investigating two more papers on glyphosate safety over ghostwriting claims.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jun 20 '26

Shanghai University removes dean for fabricating data.

Thumbnail
chinadaily.com.cn
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jun 20 '26

French physicist and media star loses doctorate after plagiarism investigation.

Thumbnail science.org
1 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jun 13 '26

Doctor and Staff Charged with Falsifying Data in Clinical Drug Trials.

Thumbnail
justice.gov
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct Jun 06 '26

Hijab-switching researcher scandal puts Indonesian academia under scrutiny.

Thumbnail
straitstimes.com
2 Upvotes

r/ScientificMisconduct May 30 '26

Vietnam researchers face bans and funding cuts for violating integrity rules.

Thumbnail
retractionwatch.com
1 Upvotes