Research ethics

University report alleges students were charged extra fees in dentistry school, but faculty see racial politics and retaliation over whistleblowing

The regulations can be ambiguous, but the masturbation paper furore is a result of supervisors’ and reviewers’ lack of vigilance, says Michelle Shipworth

In holdover from print-dominant era, top 330 academic science titles too often seen as banning or hindering published rebuttals of their articles

Karl Andersson has long attracted controversy over his interest in sexually suggestive images of teenage boys, so did university investigate this?

Sage says it is continuing to investigate article in which doctoral candidate chronicles how he ‘enjoyed’ provocative cartoon images of boys

‘Wanking is not a research method; it is just wanking,’ says professor, as doctoral candidate chronicles how he ‘enjoyed’ provocative cartoon images of boys

As Science retracts a paper by a second James Cook alumnus, critics ask where they learned their craft

DFG advisory group says opposition to animal use comes from ‘fundamental misjudgements’ and that falling usage figures ‘say nothing’ about welfare

Successful replication efforts heavily tied to whether original research team allowed a role, finds study of contentious psychology field

Australian book weighs the ethics of evolving research techniques, including the downsides of drones and selfies with animals

Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania hold up state’s budget as part of demand that university gets no money if valued research involving aborted tissue persists

Copenhagen doctoral candidate Maria Toft explains how her campaign has led to sector-wide calls for research reform in Denmark

Disgraced surgeon convicted of causing bodily harm in verdict that raises further questions for Swedish research

Low-quality studies waste resources, abuse patients and undermine trust in science. Ethics committees should be more stringent, says Edzard Ernst

Australian survey finds that internal training focuses on things staff already know, like how to define research integrity, rather than practical skills to achieve it

Over-possessive scholars may resort to foul play to protect their research domains, say postdocs

Man came forward to report sexual reorientation practices he endured on campus in the 1970s

Cureus founder says name-and-shame policy could cause hardship but is justified by threat to patient safety from fraud

As president vows to lower drug prices, academia sides with corporates against allowing waivers to legislation credited with driving US innovation

Members lack expertise and groupthink is a constant peril. Better to entrust scrutiny to expert lawyers and ethicists, says Adrian Furnham

Findings from Dutch confessional covering methods, supervision and publishing likely to be repeated in other countries, authors say

Emilia Şercan has exposed a vast array of senior public officials for plagiarising their theses, writes Július Kravjar

Penalties for student snitches and curbs on Confucius Institutes and Thousand Talents Programme among dozens of recommendations from security committee

Genetics expert Magnuson leaves vice-chancellor post saying he inadvertently copied online text into grant application

New guidelines for undergraduates to properly treat their study subjects fuels debate over net gain for science

Agencies must agree on ‘demarcation line’ for questionable behaviour and mete out consistent punishment, Science paper says

Around one in 12 postgraduate researchers would publish fraudulent results if it helped them get ahead, says study

The grip of Silicon Valley on commerce and culture is huge and ever-growing. But as concerns mount about tech firms’ ethics, is there anything that universities – with vastly lower research and salary budgets – can do to put them on a more responsible trajectory? Four experts give their views

About one in 20 recent academic papers is a duplicate, with some articles being recycled as many as 27 times in different publications

Long-time postdoctoral scientist says he was ousted when he complained a professor had appropriated his own research

As the pandemic increases public scrutiny of science, the UK Parliament is holding another inquiry into the long-running issue of reproducibility. Five of its contributors give their views on how sloppy science can be eliminated and trust be more firmly rooted 

Firms that sell co-authorship on papers accepted by reputable journals are likely turning over millions of pounds a year

Biden team aims to block Trump-era political interference in research findings, although its top adviser faces her own such questions

Experts warn of dangerous abandonment of long-standing ethical limits in pursuits of human vaccines and wildlife management

Jury takes three hours to agree nanoscience expert lied about Wuhan ties to sidestep pressure campaign against binational research partnerships

Along with blocking faculty court testimony, university allegedly also courted state politicians by interfering in hiring, research and teaching

NIH vows shifts after years-long assessment finds top-cited scientists rarely share data and measure up poorly when they do

Elisabeth Bik wins John Maddox Prize for exposing image and data manipulation in published scientific papers

Close relationships between journal boards and most-published authors may explain speedy publishing times, says study

Major science organisation targets periodicals publishing too many papers or high proportion of brief articles

But study challenges idea that papers by colleagues of editors are of a lower quality

Report on breakthrough technology in cyber-agriculture withdrawn over accuracy and replicability as former researcher sues MIT

Dealing with activists in legal jeopardy requires extra attention to ethical concerns, say protesters

Prestigious Sage robotics title pulls papers over concerns its peer review was ‘subverted’ by China-based academics

One university’s strenuous efforts to eradicate cheating by students and academics point the way for the whole sector, says Július Kravjar

Sociologist Jessica Simpson says research on student erotic dancers was hampered by obstructive universities and students’ unions

UK Reproducibility Network will run training on open research methods thanks to ‘major strategic investment’ by Research England

AI expert re-emerges at top Chinese university as former employer finds Uighur study breached Australian research code

Jo Phoenix says researchers need a ‘decent database’ to get beyond ‘political mantras’

Manipulated data in study of truth and behaviour threatens career of popular TED Talk star Dan Ariely

One in five public health researchers pressured to conceal or change their findings, study finds

Veterinary schools lead campaign protesting regulatory obstacles applied to an array of food-related genomic research

Community-led research is often seen as a social justice response to centuries of exploitative study, but exponents say it also produces better science

There is still much controversy about whether the virus that causes Covid-19 was released from a laboratory. David Sanders considers the nature of ‘gain-of-function’ research, what it can teach us – and the safeguards we need to put in place

Registered reports model produces better outcomes on all 19 criteria covering novelty, rigour, and importance

Secret lists of preferred papers have been circulated prior to computer science meetings to help favoured scholars get ahead, says US professor

After criticism that it failed to declare Peter Daszak’s work with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, journal has also ‘recused’ zoologist from its coronavirus origins taskforce

Social media and Covid have forced research committees to become more agile, sophisticated and professional, says James Patterson

In the absence of agreed definitions and rigorous enforcement, good practice will continue to depend on personal responsibility, says Ron Iphofen

Promising studies in treating mental illness leave Collins eyeing expansion in politically sensitive area