Policy Platform Seminar Series on Economics of Science and Innovation
Scientific Integrity: Recent Empirical Findings in Scientists’ Questionable Practices
講師：柴山創太郎（特任准教授 東京大学工学系研究科／科学技術イノベーション政策における「政策のための科学」 教育・研究ユニット）
日時：11月9日（月）16：50-18：50
場所：東京大学本郷キャンパス 工学部3号館 第34講義室
言語：英語
【開催報告】
Scientific integrity and honesty play a critical role in science, but deviation from the norm is increasingly observed in the forms of misconduct and other questionable practices. This seminar overviews the trend of scientists’ misbehavior and presents some recent empirical findings including the speaker’s. The speaker focuses on “dishonest conformity in peer review” — in which authors unwillingly obey referees’ instructions in order to have their papers accepted even if the instructions contradict the author’s scientific belief — and aims to investigate the determinants of dishonesty. Drawing on survey data of Japanese life scientists, the study shows that the conflict between authors and referees in peer review is quite common, under which a majority of scientists follow referees’ instructions rather than to refute them. Results suggest that authors are more likely to follow referees 1) when authors are under stronger scientific competition, 2) in biology than in medicine/agriculture, 3) if authors are associate professors rather than full professors, 4) if authors have no foreign research experience, and 5) in low-impact journals rather than in medium-impact journals. Finally, some policy implications are discussed.
【参考文献】
Shibayama, S. & Baba, Y. (2015) Dishonest conformity in peer review. Prometheus (forthcoming).
11.09.2015