Scientific Conduct News

November 14, 2016

Moral in Morning, Dishonest in Afternoon

Dishonest Deeds Lead to 'Cheater's High'

Latest Headlines

updated 6:05pm EST

Probable Scientific Misconduct in Bone Health Studies, New Study Suggests

Nov. 9, 2016 — A new study suggests probable scientific misconduct in at least some of 33 bone health trials published in various medical journals. The study used statistical methods to detect scientific misconduct ... read more

Historical Analysis Examines Sugar Industry Role in Heart Disease Research

Sep. 12, 2016 — Using archival documents, a new report examines the sugar industry's role in coronary heart disease research and suggests the industry sponsored research to influence the scientific debate to cast ... read more

Taking Notes Boosts Memory of Jurors, New Study Finds

June 21, 2016 — Jurors who are allowed to take and review notes during court trials are less likely to forget critical evidence, a new study has found. This finding has important implications for justice, as jurors ... read more

Financial Relationships Between Biomedical Companies and Organizations

May 31, 2016 — Sixty-three percent of organizations that published clinical practice guidelines on the National Guideline Clearinghouse website in 2012 reported receiving funds from biomedical companies, but these ... read more

International Law Allows for the Legalization of Cannabis

May 30, 2016 — The regulated cultivation and trade of cannabis for recreational use is permissible on the basis of states’ positive human rights obligations. Pleas for the regulated cultivation and trade of ... read more

Industry Collaboration, Consumer Pressure Key to Stopping 'Conflict Minerals' Trade

May 10, 2016 — Responsible sourcing of raw minerals from conflict regions could be achieved if firms were to collaborate and if there was more pressure from ... read more

New Study Exposes Growing Problem of Patent Aggregators and Negative Impact on Innovation

Apr. 28, 2016 — In theory, the rise in patent litigation could reflect growth in the commercialization of technology and innovation, as lawsuits increase ... read more

Conflicts of Interest in Surgical Research: More Transparency Needed, Study Finds

Apr. 26, 2016 — New research emphasizes the importance of transparency for the reliability of evidence-based medicine. Conflicts of interest should be disclosed when ... read more

What Scientists Know -- And Don't Know -- About Sexual Orientation

Apr. 25, 2016 — Over the last 50 years, political rights for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals have significantly broadened in some countries, while they have narrowed in others. In many parts of the ... read more

Risks Less Likely to Be Reported by Public-Health Researchers Paid by Industry or Military

Mar. 9, 2016 — Scientists looking for environmental and occupational health risks are less likely to find them if they have a financial tie to firms that make, use, ... read more

Feds Release First Automated Car Guidelines

It Looks Like Medical Marijuana Is Burning Up Prescription Drug Sales

23 States Sue The EPA Over A CO2 Emissions Regulation

Doctor Payments from Drug and Medical Device Companies

Employees Can Get Away With Unethical Behavior When They Imitate Higher-Ups

Oct. 18, 2016 — If higher-ups in a company are getting away with unethical behavior, chances are other employees are too, according to a new ... read more

Single-Blind Vs Double-Blind Peer Review and Effect of Author Prestige

Sep. 27, 2016 — Scientists have examined if bias with single-blind peer review might be greatest in the setting of author or institutional prestige. The authors found that reviewers were more likely to recommend ... read more

National Education Reformers Target Local School Boards

Sep. 7, 2016 — Local school board elections increasingly are becoming a national political battleground, as millions of dollars in campaign cash pours in from out-of-state donors in the name of education reform, ... read more

Greater Efforts Are Needed to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation

Sep. 6, 2016 — The World Health Organization reports that more than 200 million girls and women currently have been subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting worldwide, and three million girls continue to be ... read more

Study Examines Financial Conflict of Interests Among NCCN Guideline Authors

Aug. 25, 2016 — A new study quantifies industry financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs) among authors of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, work that influences practice and defines drugs ... read more

Strong External Governance Makes Top Managers More Prone to Cheat

Aug. 22, 2016 — When top-level managers find governance mechanisms too coercive, they're more likely to commit fraud, according to a new paper by strategic management ... read more

Protecting Plain Tobacco Packaging Against Industry Influence

Aug. 22, 2016 — Canada's public consultation on plain packaging for tobacco requires strict guidelines to protect against interference by the tobacco industry, and media must also be wary, according to a new ... read more

Researchers Investigate Environmental Movements and Neoliberalism

Aug. 22, 2016 — Recent dynamics of global environmentalism, ranging from indigenous people's rights to the reliance on non-governmental organizations, have been marked by a resurgence in environmental movements ... read more

Climate Summaries 'for Grownups,' but Not Too Difficult for Policymakers

Aug. 5, 2016 — Offering a rare insider analysis of the climate assessment process, experts examined the writing and editing procedures by which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change creates summaries of ... read more

Top News Outlets See More Risks Than Benefits in Employees' Use of Social Media

July 12, 2016 — Researchers found in a new study that news organizations are more concerned about the current social media environment than excited about it at least when it comes to their ... read more

Over Two Thirds of Researchers Who've Never Peer Reviewed Would Like To, New Research Reveals

July 11, 2016 — Bringing together primary research on researchers’ motivations behind publishing in peer reviewed journals is the focus of newly published work. Why researchers take on peer review, and their ... read more

Industry-Academia Publication Agreements Include Limits on Publication of Trial Results

June 28, 2016 — Publication agreements constraining academic investigators' independence are common, and incompletely reported in publications, according to a new study. The study suggests that publication ... read more

Europe: Don't Adopt Australian Style Immigration System, Warn Ethicists

June 27, 2016 — European countries should not adopt Australia's immigration system, with its emphasis on deterrence, warn ethicists in a new ... read more

Courts of Old Istanbul Yield Insights on Modern Poverty

June 22, 2016 — Few might seek insights on Middle Eastern conflict or modern poverty in records of the Ottoman empire. Yet when an economist combed through centuries-old court documents, he made a surprising ... read more

Benefit of Organizational Misconduct: Others in Group May Work Harder, Study Says

May 19, 2016 — Misconduct within an organization is generally seen as a predicament at best, a catastrophe at worst. But a new study shows that such misconduct, or “deviance,” can prove beneficial by causing ... read more

Female Members on Corporate Boards Can Lower Number of Mergers and Acquisitions

May 19, 2016 — Does female membership on corporate boards impact mergers and acquisitions? As the percentage of females on boards of America's largest companies has risen from 15 percent in 2005 to 20 percent ... read more

Shaping the Way Europe Prevents Violence Against Women

May 11, 2016 — English researchers are shaping the way Europe collects data on and carries out research about violence against women. Violence against women is the most common violation of women's human rights ... read more

International Law Fails to Protect Pregnant Women in War Zones, Argue Doctors

Apr. 20, 2016 — Deaths from violent conflict and lack of available care are major causes of mortality among pregnant women in war zones, warn doctors in a new ... read more

Rating the Teacher Education Rating Systems: New Study Finds Leading Programs Fall Short

Apr. 10, 2016 — A study of four leading systems used to evaluate teacher preparation programs finds the initiatives lack evidence-based approaches and 'thin' on the advancement of equity in the ... read more

Thrill of the Hunt Motivates Some to Buy Counterfeit Goods

Mar. 31, 2016 — People buying fake 'luxury brand' goods experience a range of psychological motivations -- including the 'thrill of the hunt' -- new research has ... read more

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Employees can get away with unethical behavior when they imitate higher-ups

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Single-blind vs double-blind peer review and effect of author prestige

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

National education reformers target local school boards

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Greater efforts are needed to eliminate female genital mutilation

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Study examines financial conflict of interests among NCCN guideline authors

Monday, August 22, 2016

Friday, August 5, 2016

Climate summaries 'for grownups,' but not too difficult for policymakers

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Top news outlets see more risks than benefits in employees' use of social media

Monday, July 11, 2016

Over two thirds of researchers who've never peer reviewed would like to, new research reveals

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Industry-academia publication agreements include limits on publication of trial results

Monday, June 27, 2016

Europe: Don't adopt Australian style immigration system, warn ethicists

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Courts of old Istanbul yield insights on modern poverty

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Shaping the way Europe prevents violence against women

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

International law fails to protect pregnant women in war zones, argue doctors

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Rating the teacher education rating systems: New study finds leading programs fall short

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Thrill of the hunt motivates some to buy counterfeit goods

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Monday, March 7, 2016

Professor urges physicians to help victims of torture seeking asylum

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Does your financial adviser specialize in misconduct?

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Zika epidemic highlights need for priority vaccine research for pregnant women

Monday, February 22, 2016

Tough social issues provide a challenge for companies and researchers

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The real value of taking your business offshore

Monday, February 8, 2016

Millennials say one thing but do another when choosing chocolate

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Have national smoking bans worked in reducing harms in passive smoking?

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Winning a competition predicts future dishonest behavior, say researchers

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

A stronger ethical culture within the US military health care environment is needed, experts urge.

Monday, January 4, 2016

The ugly consumer: Ridiculing those who shop ethically

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Conflict has little effect on malaria control

Monday, December 14, 2015

CEO compensation study examines factors in excess returns

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Monday, November 30, 2015

Finding fake feedback

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

NTDs disproportionately found in areas of poverty in Islamic Nations

Monday, November 2, 2015

Could self-disseminating vaccines cut off emerging infectious diseases at source?

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Personal interests pivotal for identification with Europe

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

New report examines regulation of federally funded research

Monday, September 21, 2015

Catching the 'black sheep' among bankers

Thursday, September 17, 2015

When Fed locks up funds, small businesses suffer

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Experts question the evidence underpinning e-cigarette recommendations

Thursday, September 3, 2015

'Unethical' targets in India's private hospitals

Monday, August 24, 2015

Flood damage after Hurricane Katrina could have been prevented, experts say

Friday, August 21, 2015

How can we improve data sharing of biomedical research across the globe?

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Patient-funded trials may do more harm than good, ethicists warn

Monday, August 3, 2015

Are animal models still essential to biological research?

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Bioethicists call for end to 'pay-to-play' clinical research

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Hormones influence unethical behavior, experts say

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Leading experts prescribe how to make cancer drugs more affordable

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Guidelines: Authors' conflicts of interest should lead to consequences

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Physician peer influence affects repeat prescriptions

Monday, July 13, 2015

Progress in reporting, management of institutional review board conflicts of interest

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Concerns about industry dominance in diabetes research

Friday, June 26, 2015

Head Start program played anti-segregation role in the Deep South

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Top scientists call for improved incentives to ensure research integrity

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Lobbying: Businesses don't always get what they want, but try to get what they need

Friday, June 12, 2015

The review of scientific studies in journals is subjective and quality is variable

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Are commercial conflicts of interests justifiable in medical journals?

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Honesty can keep companies' stock prices up during hard times

Friday, May 15, 2015

Age-friendly communities essential to urban elders' well-being

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Companies' bottom lines benefit when former politicians join leadership teams

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Should voting be compulsory or should we have a right not to vote?

Friday, April 24, 2015

Ethics training for future doctors needs updating, say medical educators

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Friday, April 17, 2015

Experts warn Ebola epidemic could return with a vengeance unless lessons about medical trials are learned

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

How limiting CEO pay can be more effective, less costly

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Execs sitting on each's other's boards: How unethical behavior can inflate executives' pay

Monday, March 30, 2015

Secure payment on Internet?

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

CEO bonuses could cost companies in the long term

Friday, March 6, 2015

Study investigates conflict of interest in biomedical research proposals

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Examination of prior authorization policies for antipsychotic prescribing to children

Monday, March 2, 2015

You can't take your genes with you: Strategies to share genetic information after death

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Sharp rise in experimental animal research in US

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Monday, February 9, 2015

Problem FDA inspection findings in trials seldom reflected in medical literature

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Five strategies scholars use in writing medical review articles

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Influencing physician referrals ethically

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Call to change concept of harm reduction in alcohol policy

Monday, December 8, 2014

Is it okay to vet candidates on social media during recruitment?

Friday, December 5, 2014

Can anyone be a journalist? Researcher examines citizen journalism

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Diagnosis targets in primary care are misleading, unethical, UK experts say

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

55 percent of carbon in Amazonian indigenous territories and protected lands may be at risk

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Entrepreneurs to venture capitalists: Don’t be a Scrooge

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Heterosexuals have egalitarian views on legal benefits for same-sex couples, but not on public displays of affection

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Executive scandal hurts job prospects even for entry-level employees

Monday, September 29, 2014

Open payments database casts shadows, not light, experts say

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Why bioethics literacy matters

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Why are consumers willing to spend more money on ethical products?

Monday, September 15, 2014