Search

Misconduct in science is often viewed and analyzed through the lenses of normative ethics and moral philosophy. However, notions and methods in the philosophy of science could also provide rather penetrative explanatory insights into the nature and causes of scientific misconduct. A brief illustration in this regard, using as examples the widely popular Popperian falsification and the Kuhnian scientific paradigm, is provided. In multiple areas of scientific research, failure to seek falsification in a Popperian manner constitutes a questionable research practice and could lead to "falsification" in the context of research misconduct. On the other hand, scientific misconduct is often facilitated by its perpetrators using the familiarity, expectations and confines of a Kuhnian paradigm to blend in fabricated data/results. A rudimentary application of these philosophical notions could be useful in our understanding of the nature and cause of research misconduct, and facilitate mitigation of the latter through educational means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the development of the linear non-threshold model of cancer risk assessment over the past 100 years, focusing on scientific literature in industrial hygiene, toxicology, health physics, and radiation health. Topics include the documentation of the model's development, examples of scientific misrepresentations and misconduct, and the author's perspective on the model.

Scientific retraction practices are intended to help purge the continued use of flawed research and assist in maintaining the integrity, credibility and quality of scientific literature. However, the practical effect of retraction is still vague and needs to be further explored. In this study, we analysed the citation counts and sentiments (positive/negative) of retracted articles in psychology journals from Web of Science to explore the effect of retraction. Causal inference strategies were used to measure the net effect of retractions on citation. Results show that the retraction practices induced the citation counts to reduce as expected. However, the proportion of negative citations also decreased because of retraction, indicating an unsatisfied effect. The retraction practice of high-impact factors and open access journals was more effective than other journals. The study integrated an understanding of the dissemination of erroneous publications and provided implications for liabilities involved in the whole retraction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prof. Nighat Shah, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, organized a workshop on Synopsis and scientific paper writing in connection with the International Medical Education Conference. The workshop included presentations by Dr. Shiraz and Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid, who discussed topics such as writing a synopsis, selecting an innovative topic, and getting published. The workshop also emphasized the importance of ethical practices and provided tips for successful publication. The participants engaged in lively discussions and expressed interest in future workshops and establishing a Research Cell in the department. [Extracted from the article]

Background: As the prevalence of autism appears to increase, more research to guide effective diagnosis and intervention practices is needed. Findings disseminated through peer‐reviewed publications are critical, but the number of retractions continues to rise. An understanding of retracted publications is imperative to ensure the body of evidence is corrected and current. Objectives: The objectives of this analysis were to summarize key characteristics of retracted publications in autism research, examine the length of time between publication and retraction, and assess the extent journals are adhering to publishing ethical guidelines for reporting retracted articles. Methods: We searched five databases through 2021 (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Retraction Watch). Results: A total of 25 retracted articles were included in the analysis. Ethical misconduct accounted for the majority of retractions rather than scientific error. The shortest time to retraction was 2 months and the longest length was 144 months. Discussion: The time lag between publication and retraction since 2018 has improved considerably. Nineteen of the articles had retraction notices (76%), whereas six articles did not have a notice (24%). Conclusion: These findings summarize errors of previous retractions and illuminate opportunities for researchers, journal publishers and librarians to learn from retracted publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pugwash Conferences have been a highly visible attempt to create profoundly important discussions on matters related to global safety and security at the highest levels, starting in 1957 at the height of the Cold War. This paper assesses, for the first time, the formal comments offered at this first Pugwash Conference by the Nobel Prize-winning radiation geneticist, Hermann J. Muller, on the effects of ionizing radiation on the human genome. This analysis shows that the presentation by Muller was highly biased and contained scientific errors and misrepresentations of the scientific record that resulted in seriously misleading the attendees. The presentation of Muller at Pugwash served to promote, on a very visible global scale, continued misrepresentations of the state of the science and had a significant impact on policies and practices internationally and both scientific and personal belief systems concerning the effects of low dose radiation on human health. These misrepresentations would come to affect the adoption and use of nuclear technologies and the science of radiological and chemical carcinogen health risk assessment, ultimately having a profound effect on global environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article sheds light on a concerning trend in the scientific publishing industry, where fraudulent paper mills are resorting to bribing journal editors to secure publication for questionable research papers. It mentions that the investigation reveals instances of editors, including those affiliated with reputable journals, accepting cash from paper mills in exchange for publishing papers.

Following the diffusion of the management model promoted by the New Public Management also within universities, sectors until then endowed with particular protection, such as the academic one, were progressively subjected to new controls and constraints, which gradually took the form of quantitative surveys, with a growing role of citation metrics. These evaluation processes have given rise to various important critical positions at an international level. If it is true that, according to Goodhart's law, "when a measure becomes an objective it ceases to be a good measure", it is even more significant to note that when a measure becomes an objective, what is measured ceases to be what it was before. The quantitative measurement of academic performance has in fact triggered forms of gaming such as to alter the very game of scientific research, its purposes and the forms of its sharing. In the article we will carry out a comparison between the forms of mutation and the narratives that accompany them to see to what extent we are legitimate today to talk about the transformation of scientific research into strategic scientific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the research project \"Summa cum fraude - Scientific Misconduct and an Attempt at Counteroffensive\" at Saarland University, an interview was conducted with Ivan Oransky. Oransky is a co-founder of the Retraction Watch database and the Retraction Watch blog, which address scientific misconduct and the retraction of published articles. In the interview, he discusses scientific misconduct, such as data manipulation and peer review processes, as well as plagiarism. He emphasizes the importance of clear retraction notices and sanctions for misconduct. Oransky sees a role for libraries and librarians in ensuring the quality of data and research. The number of retracted scientific articles has dramatically increased in the last 25 years. In 2021, over 3800 retractions were recorded, compared to about 40 in 2000. The retraction rate is currently at 0.08%, while it was at 0.04% four or five years ago. There is a clear upward trend, and some publishers even report hundreds of retractions at once. The Retraction Watch database and blog provide information on this issue and are used by many people. There are various reasons for retractions, such as fake reviews, legal issues, or authorship questions. Guidelines like those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) can help reduce the number of retractions and improve the integrity of scientific publications. It is important to communicate transparently about retractions to bring about long-term changes. There are already approaches such as registered reports and the disclosure of peer reviews that can improve scientific practice. However, the challenge remains of how best to handle allegations against scientific publications and ensure that they are taken seriously and addressed. It requires better infrastructure and collaboration between researchers, publishers, and other service providers to track and systematically document reports of questionable publications. [Extracted from the article]

Visual misinformation poses unique challenges to public health due to its potential for persuasiveness and rapid spread on social media. In this article, librarians at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System identify four types of visual health misinformation: misleading graphs and charts, out of context visuals, image manipulation in scientific publications, and AI-generated images and videos. To educate our campus's health sciences audience and wider community on these topics, we have developed a range of instruction about visual health misinformation. We describe our strategies and provide suggestions for implementing visual misinformation programming for a variety of audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its public visibility and impact on policy, the activity of expert communication rarely receives more than a passing mention in codes of scientific integrity. This paper makes the case for an ethics of expert communication, introducing a framework where expert communication is represented as an intrinsically ethical activity of a deliberative agent. Ethical expert communication cannot be ensured by complying with various requirements, such as restricting communications to one's area of expertise or disclosing conflicts of interest. Expert communication involves morally laden trade‐offs that must be weighed by a deliberative agent. A basic normative framework is introduced, and concrete provisions are proposed for codes of scientific integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, preclinical and clinical research were sped up and scaled up in both the public and private sectors and in partnerships between them. This resulted in some extraordinary advances, but it also raised a range of issues regarding the ethics, rigour, and integrity of scientific research, academic publication, and public communication. Many of the failures of scientific rigour and integrity that occurred during the pandemic were exacerbated by the rush to generate, disseminate, and implement research findings, which not only created opportunities for unscrupulous actors but also compromised the methodological, peer review, and advisory processes that would usually identify sub-standard research and prevent compromised clinical or policy-level decisions. While it would be tempting to attribute these failures of science and its translation solely to the "unprecedented" circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is that they preceded the pandemic and will continue to arise once it is over. Existing strategies for promoting scientific rigour and integrity need to be made more rigorous, better integrated into research training and institutional cultures, and made more sophisticated. They might also need to be modified or supplemented with other strategies that are fit for purpose not only in public health emergencies but in any research that is sped-up and scaled up to address urgent unmet medical needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an interview with Professor Johannes Ring, a renowned figure in the field of dermatology and venereology. The interview provides insights into Professor Ring's background, career, and influential mentors, as well as his passion for writing and editing. Professor Ring shares his experiences as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology (JEADV), discussing the challenges faced in managing a high volume of manuscripts and improving the journal's impact factor. The interview also touches on issues of scientific misconduct and predatory journals. Overall, the interview offers valuable perspectives on the field of dermatology and the importance of creating a journal that is both informative and engaging. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: This paper aims to review corporate fraud, as a concept, and the emerging research trends in corporate fraud research from 1957 to 2022 using bibliometric analysis techniques. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 7,750 publications from the Scopus database were first assessed using performance analysis to explore the descriptive nature of the bibliographic data, and subsequently, citation, co-citation, co-occurrence and bibliographic coupling analyses were conducted using the VOSviewer software. Findings: The results indicate there has been increasing growth in fraud research over the years, especially since the global corporate scandals of 2008. Although fraud is a global issue, the results suggest that most extant studies originate from developed economies, with a high level of collaboration amongst scholars in these countries. In addition, the co-occurrence analysis indicates that research into corporate fraud has largely focused on its determinants and corruption. The determinants identified are further clustered in the paper as individual, organizational and national-level factors. Practical implications: The findings should inform practitioners and policymakers of the state of knowledge on corporate fraud which could be useful in developing strategies and policies to mitigate its occurrence. Social implications: The study points to the need for research collaborations among scholars in developing economies to increase investigations into the occurrences of fraud. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to holistically assess the intellectual structure of corporate fraud studies from its inception and the trends over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: What is theoretical about ecological risk assessment? — Glenn SuterAn egregious example of scientific fraud — Glenn SuterMechanistic modeling of toxicity test data — Lawrence BarnthouseThe folly of outsmarting climate change — Richard J. WenningRegulating plastics pollution — Richard J. Wenning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honesty of publications is fundamental in science. Unfortunately, science has an increasing fake paper problem with multiple cases having surfaced in recent years, even in renowned journals. There are companies, the so-called paper mills, which professionally fake research data and papers. However, there is no easy way to systematically identify these papers. Here, we show that scanning for exchanged authors in resubmissions is a simple approach to detect potential fake papers. We investigated 2056 withdrawn or rejected submissions to Naunyn–Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology (NSAP), 952 of which were subsequently published in other journals. In six cases, the stated authors of the final publications differed by more than two thirds from those named in the submission to NSAP. In four cases, they differed completely. Our results reveal that paper mills take advantage of the fact that journals are unaware of submissions to other journals. Consequently, papers can be submitted multiple times (even simultaneously), and authors can be replaced if they withdraw from their purchased authorship. We suggest that publishers collaborate with each other by sharing titles, authors, and abstracts of their submissions. Doing so would allow the detection of suspicious changes in the authorship of submitted and already published papers. Independently of such collaboration across publishers, every scientific journal can make an important contribution to the integrity of the scientific record by analyzing its own pool of withdrawn and rejected papers versus published papers according to the simple algorithm proposed in the present paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Plant Science Retreat (EPSR) is an annual event that brings together early career plant scientists to develop their scientific network. This year, the EPSR took place at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, with close to 70 PhD candidates from nine different countries participating. The event included poster presentations, talks, workshops, and excursions, covering a wide range of research areas in plant science. Topics discussed included plant development, responses to abiotic stresses, evolutionary biology, genetics, biophysics, and biotechnology. The retreat also addressed important issues such as scientific integrity and the well-being of graduate students. The organizers of the EPSR expressed their satisfaction with the event and look forward to the next edition in Paris in 2024. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the discovery of potential scientific fraud in a published paper by Hania et al. (2022), highlighting discrepancies observed during a data extraction process for a scoping review. Topics include the comparison between the suspicious paper and a prior study by Iioka and Komatsu (2015), indications of plagiarism in layout and outcome measures, and concerns regarding data manipulation in tables to maintain consistent conclusions.

The article discusses the concerns raised about the quality of content in themed collections and the need for best practices in editing these collections. Themed collections are becoming more common in the publishing industry due to various reasons, such as aggressive commissioning tactics by publishers and the pressure on researchers to publish. The article argues that guest-edited collections, when managed properly, can provide balanced views of a particular field and help early career scientists gain exposure. The article also addresses the challenges of peer review manipulation, conflicts of interest, and the use of AI in scientific publishing. The Philosophical Transactions, published by the Royal Society, is highlighted as a venue that prioritizes scientific quality and provides a forum for scientific debate. The article concludes by reaffirming the journal's commitment to maintaining high standards and complying with ethical recommendations. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on potential ethical and scientific misconduct involving an experimental stroke drug, 3K3A-APC, developed to limit brain damage after strokes. Topics include the National Institutes of Health's commitment to a study of the drug; concerns raised by whistleblowers about increased deaths and disabilities associated with the drug; and allegations of doctored data in studies supporting the drug's human testing.

The number of retracted papers from Chinese university-affiliated hospitals is increasing, which has raised much concern. The aim of this study is to analyze the retracted papers from university-affiliated hospitals in mainland China from 2000 to 2021. Data for 1,031 retracted papers were identified from the Web of Science Core collection database. The information of the hospitals involved was obtained from their official websites. We analyzed the chronological changes, journal distribution, discipline distribution and retraction reasons for the retracted papers. The grade and geographic locations of the hospitals involved were explored as well. We found a rapid increase in the number of retracted papers, while the retraction time interval is decreasing. The main reasons for retraction are plagiarism/self-plagiarism (n=255), invalid data/images/conclusions (n=212), fake peer review (n=175) and honesty error(n=163). The disciplines are mainly distributed in oncology (n=320), pharmacology & pharmacy (n=198) and research & experimental medicine (n=166). About 43.8% of the retracted papers were from hospitals affiliated with prestigious universities. This study fails to differentiate between retractions due to honest error and retractions due to research misconduct. We believe that there is a fundamental difference between honest error retractions and misconduct retractions. Another limitation is that authors of the retracted papers have not been analyzed in this study. This study provides a reference for addressing research misconduct in Chinese university-affiliated hospitals. It is our recommendation that universities and hospitals should educate all their staff about the basic norms of research integrity, punish authors of scientific misconduct retracted papers, and reform the unreasonable evaluation system. Based on the analysis of retracted papers, this study further analyzes the characteristics of institutions of retracted papers, which may deepen the research on retracted papers and provide a new perspective to understand the retraction phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his Nobel Prize Lecture of December 12, 1946, Hermann J. Muller argued that the dose–response for ionizing radiation-induced germ cell mutations was linear and that there was "no escape from the conclusion that there is no threshold". However, a newly discovered commentary by the Robert L. Brent (2015) indicated that Curt Stern, after reading a draft of part of Muller's Nobel Prize Lecture, called Muller, strongly advising him to remove reference to the flawed linear non-threshold (LNT)-supportive Ray-Chaudhuri findings and strongly encouraged him to be guided by the threshold supportive data of Ernst Caspari. Brent indicated that Stern recounted this experience during a genetics class at the University of Rochester. Brent wrote that Muller refused to follow Stern's advice, thereby proclaiming support for the LNT dose–response while withholding evidence that was contrary during his Nobel Prize Lecture. This finding is of historical importance since Muller's Nobel Prize Lecture gained considerable international attention and was a turning point in the acceptance of the linearity model for radiation and chemical hereditary and carcinogen risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The analysis of human gait is the subject of a numerous research studies with the aim of application in various fields of science - most often in sports and in medical practice. Of particular interest is research and analysis the information in the rehabilitation of a neurological conditions; post-traumatic conditions; systemic diseases; degenerative diseases, etc., which affect a large percentage of the population. The purpose of this scientific communication is to determine the need to provide an innovative technical device for registering gait parameters in patients with impaired locomotion. Material and methods: A survey was conducted among 41 specialists in the field of medical rehabilitation and occupational therapy, including: research on the needs of medico-social and rehabilitation activities to improve the social functioning of the person; determination of the need to provide a technical device recording gait parameters in patients with impaired locomotion. Results and analysis: As a result of the analysis the outcome from the conducted survey determines the need to carry out a precise measurement of gait parameters in patients with limited or difficult locomotion. This requires providing an appropriate innovative technical device for registering the spatio-temporal parameters of the gait. Modern scientific and practical developments reflect the latest achievements of science, technique, technology and practice, which requires their inclusion in clinical research, analysis of the data obtained from them and their application in daily clinical practice. Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be summarized that the use of innovative modern technical means to register gait parameters in patients with impaired locomotor activity leads to the precise measurement of multiple spatiotemporal characteristics and assessment of the patient's functional capacity, depending on age, gender and impairment. This requires a search for an opportunity to procure the necessary financial means, in order to provide an innovative technical device with an appropriate software program, through funding under a Scientific Research Project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

4 TABLE BCPT requires the authors use reporting guidelines for clinical studies (studies with human participants). The editorial team has therefore decided to revise the BCPT guidelines for authors in order to ensure that research transparency and standards are uniformly communicated for both experimental/non-clinical and for clinical studies. In addition to the BCPT policy, the authors are also encouraged to read the BCPT Author Guidelines. BCPT GUIDELINES FOR EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES This replaces the previous versions of BCPT guidelines.[[12]] REFERENCES 1 Baker M. Reproducibility crisis: blame it on the antibodies. [Extracted from the article]

The article comments on the anxiety and mental health problem facing editors in preventing the publication of scientific misconduct and fraud and paper mill activities and calls for the protection of the scientific record. It attributes the problem with paper mill-produced manuscripts to pressure on academics, educational workload in universities and funding. It suggests having an authorship policy, investigation of suspected unethical behavior and peer review to combat publishing misconduct.

Background and Purpose: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) in their report projected that over 4.5 trillion dollars are globally lost due to fraud, with individual organizations losing about 5 per cent of their revenues to fraud annually. Thus, organizations need to understand what contributes to fraud from an individual to organizational perspective, so that strategies to mitigate fraud are formulated. The objective of this paper is to identify various fraud-related theories used in research and their evolution. Subsequently, this study tries to identify the most commonly used fraud theory, approach and unit of analysis. Methodology: This paper employed a systematic review process and the name of the theory was used as the keyword in the Scopus database to identify papers that discussed the theories. A total of 342 papers were initially identified and analysed after which repeated papers were eliminated. Following this, 39 most recent papers were further analysed to identify the most common theories, research approaches and units of analysis, used in fraud research. Findings: The analysis found that fraud theories comprised of theories discussing individual factors and organizational factors, which contribute to fraud. The findings further reveal that the Fraud Triangle Contributions: This paper contributes to the growing interest in the study related to fraud by providing a comprehensive analysis of theories related to fraud by bringing together most commonly used theories in fraud research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Test takers wishing to gain an unfair advantage often share answers with other test takers, either sharing all answers (a full key) or some (a partial key). Detecting key sharing during a tight testing window requires an efficient, easily interpretable, and rich form of analysis that is descriptive and inferential. We introduce a detection method based on multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) that identifies test takers with unusual response similarities. The method simultaneously detects multiple shared keys (partial or full), plots results, and is computationally efficient as it requires only matrix operations. We describe the method, evaluate its detection accuracy under various simulation conditions, and demonstrate the procedure on a real data set with known test‐taking misbehavior. The simulation results showed that the MCA method had reasonably high power under realistic conditions and maintained the nominal false‐positive level, except when the group size was very large or partial shared keys had more than 50% of the items. The real data analysis illustrated visual detection procedures and inference about the item responses possibly shared in the key, which was likely shared among 91 test takers, many of whom were confirmed by nonstatistical investigation to have engaged in test‐taking misconduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is entirely possible that the patients who received dexmedetomidine in the study by Kang et al. did not ask for rescue opioid until postoperative day 3 because they received twice as much overall opioid in 24 h as the patients in the study by Albrecht et al. did in 48 h (median 20 mg vs. 10 mg). Keywords: analgesia; dexmedetomidine; interscalene block; reliability; reproducibility EN analgesia dexmedetomidine interscalene block reliability reproducibility 1067 1070 4 08/07/23 20230901 NES 230901 I am a mediocre cook, but my baking is pretty good (at least according to my children). Kang et al. [[6]] studied patients having interscalene brachial plexus block for shoulder surgery in combination with intravenous dexamethasone and found that adding intravenous dexmedetomidine extended median time to rescue analgesia from 17 h to nearly 3 days. These investigators found that not only did the addition of intravenous dexmedetomidine fail to prolong analgesia, but patients also had a reduction in time to rescue analgesia. [Extracted from the article]

The Brazilian Federal Senate created a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) to investigate the Bolsonaro government's irregularities in the management of the COVID‐19 pandemic. One of the cases that drew attention was the research conducted by Prevent Senior, a private health insurance company, on the early treatment of COVID‐19. The article analyzes the scientific validity of the research and the ethical problems related to its implementation. It is based on analysis of Prevent Senior's report of the clinical study, the Brazilian and USA clinical trial registries, the Senate's CPI report, and on the information reported by the media. This case of scientific fraud and political‐ideological bias exemplifies how Prevent Senior, using a questionable protocol to enhance its reputation and gain government support, was instrumental in building the "early treatment" narrative for COVID‐19, and shows how it served as a basis for a government public policy that promoted the use of ineffective drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the erosion of public trust caused by highly publicized research fraud, particularly in clinical trials. It mentions the ethical concerns arising from such scandals highlight the need to promote research integrity in clinical trials and address cases of misconduct or fraud promptly and transparently. It discusses the role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in ensuring compliance, detecting potential misconduct.

This study aims to provide an understanding of the nature, extent, and quality of the research evidence on identity fraud victimization in the US. Specifically, this article reviews, summarizes, and comments on the state of empirical research of identity fraud victimization in the US based on a narrative review of 52 published empirical studies. Studies included in this review suggest that the prevalence of identity fraud in the US has increased over the years and existing account frauds is the most prevalent type of identity fraud. There is a pressing need for more research on the prevalence of identity fraud victimization among minors, institutionalized individuals, and individuals from minority groups; long-term prevalence of identity fraud victimization; and emerging forms of identity fraud such as synthetic identity fraud victimization. Studies included in this review further suggest that identity fraud risk factors vary based on the fraud type considered. Identity fraud victims can experience a variety of harms. Longitudinal studies following identity fraud victims are essential for reliably estimating the risk factors for identity fraud victimization and the impact of identity fraud victimization on individual victims. The research on services for identity fraud victims is limited and suggests the positive impact of trauma-informed services for serious identity fraud victims. The overwhelming lack of research on the impact of programs and services for identity fraud victims necessitates more attention from scholars to study the impact of programs, interventions, and services for identity fraud victims on reporting of victimization, prevention of victimization, experiences of victims, and victim-centered cost benefit analysis of services. Policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web‐based studies of human dimensions are increasing across environmental and socio‐ecological disciplines. However, the prevalence of fraud threatens research quality. Increased fraud rates should be expected as surveys move progressively more online, motivated by expanding reach, cost savings and/or in response to COVID‐19. Web‐based research must better account for fraud to maintain confidence in findings. Practical diagnostic tools and data quality protocols are required to detect fraud and ensure results quality.Drawing on our experience using an online participatory mapping case study, we discuss methods to detect potentially fraudulent responses—and identify some limitations. We begin by reviewing the current state of knowledge on fraudulent responses or 'fraudsters' and its relative absence in environmental and socio‐ecological disciplines. We then describe our research approach, the indicators and variables we used to detect and assess fraud and our decision‐making process to eliminate suspicious responses without jeopardizing research integrity.We found that despite several preventative measures, many fraudulent respondents could provide survey responses and effectively mimicked legitimate respondents at first glance. By assuming each response to be 'potentially fraudulent', we determined that the complete screening of each respondent, while time‐consuming, can limit the prevalence of fraud. We also determined that the most common data consistency checks (e.g. duration, trap questions and straight‐liner checks) are unlikely to guarantee valid respondents.If not acknowledged and addressed, fraud has the potential to undermine data integrity, discredit research findings and limit the utility of results for policy. This study contributes to environmental and socio‐ecological research by reviewing existing fraudster literature and using our experience with fraud to provide recommendations for researchers to address this problem. We encourage researchers implementing online qualitative research methods to thoroughly assess and report fraud, when possible, to ensure widespread knowledge of this growing threat. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The contribution of the statistician to the design and analysis of a clinical trial is acknowledged as essential. Ability to reconstruct the statistical contribution to a trial requires rigorous and transparent documentation as evidenced by the reproducibility of results. The process of validating statistical programmes is a key requirement. While guidance relating to software development and life cycle methodologies details steps for validation by information systems developers, there is no guidance applicable to programmes written by statisticians. We aimed to develop a risk-based approach to the validation of statistical programming that would support scientific integrity and efficient resource use within clinical trials units. Methods: The project was embedded within the Information Systems Operational Group and the Statistics Operational Group of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration Registered Clinical Trials Unit network. Members were asked to share materials relevant to validation of statistical programming. A review of the published literature, regulatory guidance and knowledge of relevant working groups was undertaken. Surveys targeting the Information Systems Operational Group and Statistics Operational Group were developed to determine current practices across the Registered Clinical Trials Unit network. A risk-based approach was drafted and used as a basis for a workshop with representation from statisticians, information systems developers and quality assurance managers (n = 15). The approach was subsequently modified and presented at a second, larger scale workshop (n = 47) to gain a wider perspective, with discussion of content and implications for delivery. The approach was revised based on the discussions and suggestions made. The workshop was attended by a member of the Medicines for Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Inspectorate who also provided comments on the revised draft. Results: Types of statistical programming were identified and categorised into six areas: generation of randomisation lists; programmes to explore/understand the data; data cleaning, including complex checks; derivations including data transformations; data monitoring; or interim and final analysis. The risk-based approach considers each category of statistical programme against the impact of an error and its likelihood, whether the programming can be fully prespecified, the need for repeated use and the need for reproducibility. Approaches to the validation of programming within each category are proposed. Conclusion: We have developed a risk-based approach to the validation of statistical programming. It endeavours to facilitate the implementation of targeted quality assurance measures while making efficient use of limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiarism is widely regarded as an issue of low- and middle-income countries because of several factors such as the lack of ethics policy and poor research training. In Morocco, plagiarism and its perception by academics has not been investigated on a large scale. In this study, we evaluated different aspects of plagiarism among scholars based on a 23-question cross-sectional survey. Factors associated with plagiarism were explored using contingency tables and logistic regression. The survey results covered all public universities (n=12) and included 1,220 recorded responses. The academic level was significantly associated with plagiarism (p<0.001). Having publication records was statistically associated with a reduced plagiarism (p=0.002). Notably, the ability of participants to correctly define plagiarism was also significantly associated with a reduced plagiarism misconduct (p<0.001). Unintentional plagiarism (p<0.001), time constraint to write an original text (p<0.001), and inability of participants to paraphrase (p<0.001) were associated factors with plagiarism. Moreover, participants that considered plagiarism as a serious issue in academic research had significantly committed less plagiarism (p<0.001). The current study showed that various actionable factors associated with plagiarism can be targeted by educational interventions, and therefore, it provided the rationale to build training programs on research integrity in Morocco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful investigation and prosecution of significant crimes, including child pornography, insurance fraud, movie piracy, traffic monitoring, and scientific fraud, hinge largely on the availability of solid evidence to establish the case beyond any reasonable doubt. When dealing with digital images/videos as evidence in such investigations, there is a critical need to conclusively prove the source camera/device of the questioned image. Extensive research has been conducted in the past decade to address this requirement, resulting in various methods categorized into brand, model, or individual image source camera identification techniques. This paper presents a survey of all those existing methods found in the literature. It thoroughly examines the efficacy of these existing techniques for identifying the source camera of images, utilizing both intrinsic hardware artifacts such as sensor pattern noise and lens optical distortion, and software artifacts like color filter array and auto white balancing. The investigation aims to discern the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques. The paper provides publicly available benchmark image datasets and assessment criteria used to measure the performance of those different methods, facilitating a comprehensive comparison of existing approaches. In conclusion, the paper outlines directions for future research in the field of source camera identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present review paper is to provide a preliminary review related to current research on the implementation of food safety regulations, and the impact on three dimensions of food security level namely food resources, food production, and logistics. All 16 research papers published in 2016 - 2023 on implementation of food regulations among food industries in Malaysia were collected from Google Scholar and discussed herein. The main factors that contribute to low number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with food safety assurance certification are due to high certification and business renovation costs, language barrier between industries and authorities, as well as lack of motivation and knowledge among SMEs. In addition, the negligence of food manufacturers in following regulations leaves negative impact on Malaysia's food security level. The present review suggests future research on food fraud, food defence, and stability of food resources to secure higher level of food safety and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the problem of fabrication and falsification of scientific research in the context of the role that lawmakers can play in combating this practice. Legislators may establish organisational units specialising in combating scientific misconduct (also referred to as 'research misconduct'), having the authority to, for instance, to conduct investigations or recommend penalties. A researcher who commits such misconduct may face not only disciplinary, but also civil, administrative or criminal liability. The article discusses the results of a survey asking 70 Polish academics about their opinion on the role of legislators in countering fabrication and falsification in research. The findings show, for example, that respondents mostly support disciplinary responsibility for such misconduct (81%), and also believe that legislators should combat this practice using 'soft' measures, such as promoting codes of ethics in research (70%). Half of those surveyed wanted such behaviour criminalised. According to almost half of the respondents, the Polish legislator does not combat such misconduct effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the influence of each Hexagon Fraud factor that causes fraudulent financial reporting, namely Pressure, Opportunity, Rationalization, Arrogance, Capability and Collusion based on respondents' perceptions of the content. The research methodology used is a quantitative method, sample determination was carried out using a purposive sampling method with certain criteria. The questionnaire was distributed to 3 leaders and 3 officials based on the selected sample. Primary data was obtained to test 6 research hypotheses based on the answers of 96 respondents from 16 State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) from the selected sample. Data processing uses Smart PLS version 3.00 to test validity and reliability and test research hypotheses. The results of research on hexagon fraud theory show that Opportunity, Arrogance and Capability have a positive and significant effect on Fraudulent Financial Reporting, while Pressure, Rationalization and Collusion do not have a significant effect on Fraudulent Financial Reporting. Research findings reveal that fraud perpetrators are parties who have a deep understanding of the company's internal control policies, especially knowledge about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of internal controls, both from within and from outside SOEs. Fraud perpetrators may come from leaders or officials who are knowledgeable about the organizational structure and governance of officials in strategic positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater media and scholarly coverage of corruption and fraud in local-level NGOs in developing countries has brought attention to the complex and often contradictory underbelly of global civil society. The vast majority of social science research on corruption and fraud focuses on governments, corporations, and large-scale organizations. While some scholarship has examined the conditions that allow the proliferation of corruption and fraudulent activities in local-level NGOs, most of this work emerges from the global North and frequently fails to consider the unique conditions of the global South. The first section of this article summarizes foundational theories on corruption and fraud, highlighting their Western standpoint, which can be limiting in the context of developing nations. The second section turns to the contemporary development literature on local-level NGOs in the global South to illustrate why any exploration of corruption and fraud in these organizations must first address their unique circumstances, including globalization and neoliberalism, environments of uncertainty, organizational frames, and national structures of inequality, and how each can create opportunities for corruption and fraud. The review concludes with a case study of alleged corruption and fraud at a local-level NGO in Kathmandu, Nepal, to illustrate the vulnerability of such NGOs and how an integrated approach can provide a better model for understanding the complexities of corruption and fraud in the developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of fraudulent activity has significantly increased with the rise in digital payments. To resolve this issue there is a need for reliable real-time fraud detection technologies. This research introduced an innovative method called stacked autoencoder kernel extreme learning machine optimized by the dandelion algorithm (S-AEKELM-DA) to detect fraudulent transactions. The primary objective was to enhance the kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) performance by integrating the dandelion technique into a stacked autoencoder kernel ELM architecture. This study aimed to improve the overall effectiveness of the proposed method in fraud detection by optimizing the regularization parameter (c) and the kernel parameter (σ). To evaluate the S-AEKELM-DA approach; simulations and experiments were conducted using four credit card datasets. The results demonstrated remarkable performance, with our method achieving high accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score in real time for detecting fraudulent transactions. These findings highlight the effectiveness and reliability of the suggested approach. By incorporating the dandelion algorithm into the S-AEKELM framework, this research advances fraud detection capabilities, thus ensuring the security of digital transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial fraud undermines the sustainable development of financial markets. Financial statements can be regarded as the key source of information to obtain the operating conditions of listed companies. Current research focuses more on mining financial digital data instead of looking into text data. However, text data can reveal emotional information, which is an important basis for detecting financial fraud. The audit opinion of the financial statement is especially the fair opinion of a certified public accountant on the quality of enterprise financial reports. Therefore, this research was carried out by using the data features of 4,153 listed companies' financial annual reports and audits of text opinions in the past six years, and the paper puts forward a financial fraud detection model integrating audit opinions. First, the financial data index database and audit opinion text database were built. Second, digitized audit opinions with deep learning Bert model was employed. Finally, both the extracted audit numerical characteristics and the financial numerical indicators were used as the training data of the LightGBM model. What is worth paying attention to is that the imbalanced distribution of sample labels is also one of the focuses of financial fraud research. To solve this problem, data enhancement and Focal Loss feature learning functions were used in data processing and model training respectively. The experimental results show that compared with the conventional financial fraud detection model, the performance of the proposed model is improved greatly, with Area Under the Curve (AUC) and Accuracy reaching 81.42% and 78.15%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[10] essay highlights the importance of being empathetic to the human beings on the other side of manuscript central and the profound, unintentional, impact that an editorial decision can have on the authors themselves. From the Editors - An Editorial Process Grounded in Empathy The essay brought a new perspective on how the dominant norms of the review process can constrain manuscripts and authors. Over the past two years, I have had the honor of working with a team of talented authors and developmental reviewers to bring to publication the manuscript "What about Us?. [Extracted from the article]

Whistleblowing against doping misconduct represents an effective deterrent of doping use in elite competitive sport. The present study assessed the effects of social cognitive variables on competitive athletes' intentions to report doping misconduct. A second objective was to assess whether the effects of social norms on whistleblowing intentions were mediated by actor prototype evaluations and group identification and orientation. In total, 1,163 competitive athletes from Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom completed a questionnaire on demographics, past behavior, social cognitive variables, and intentions toward whistleblowing. Regression analyses showed that whistleblowing intentions were associated with different social cognitive variables in each country. Multiple mediation modeling showed that attitudes and subjective norms were associated with whistleblowing intentions indirectly, via the effects of anticipated negative affect and group identification and orientation, respectively. The findings of this study are novel and have important implications about the social, cognitive, and normative processes underlying decision making toward reporting doping misconduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]