Abstracts
Brazil is a country with an emerging and rapidly expanding body of scientific research, and is correspondingly experiencing a significant increase in investment in research and researcher training. It is important to verify the quality and reliability of the knowledge arising from such research, in terms of integrity and adherence to good scientific practices. The aim of this study was to provide an overview scientific integrity in Brazil through an analysis of studies published in scientific journals. A systematic review of the SciELO, PuBMed, LILACS/ IBECS and Web of Science electronic databases was performed, using keywords to select the relevant studies. Following application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 publications were selected and classified into six previously defined categories. However, discussion of scientific integrity remains incipient in Brazil. The subjects discussed were plagiarism and conflicts of interest regarding authorship. Early adherence to principles of integrity are important in the academic training of researchers and young scientists.
Bioethics; Ethics, research; Scientific integrity review; Scientific misconduct; Fraud; Brazil
O Brasil é um país com ciência emergente, em rápida expansão, apresentando aumento significativo nos investimentos destinados à pesquisa e capacitação de pesquisadores. Torna-se importante verificar a qualidade e confiabilidade do conhecimento produzido, considerando a aderência aos critérios de integridade e às boas práticas científicas. Buscou-se traçar um panorama sobre o tema da integridade científica no Brasil por meio da análise de reflexões e pesquisas publicadas em periódicos científicos. Foi realizada revisão sistemática nos bancos de dados eletrônicos SciELO, PuBMed, Lilacs/Ibecs, Scopus e Web of Science, utilizando-se palavras-chave para capturar os artigos. Após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, foram selecionadas 19 publicações, agrupadas em seis categorias previamente definidas. A discussão sobre a integridade científica é ainda incipiente no Brasil. Os assuntos mais discutidos foram plágio e conflitos de interesses sobre autoria. Torna-se necessária a abordagem precoce desses conhecimentos no processo de formação acadêmica de pesquisadores e jovens cientistas.
Bioética; Ética em pesquisa; Revisão de integridade científica; Má conduta científica; Fraude; Brasil
El Brasil es un país con ciencia emergente, en rápida expansión, con aumento significativo de investimentos destinados a investigación y capacitación de investigadores. Así, es importante verificar la calidad y confiabilidad de los conocimientos producidos, considerándose la adherencia a los requisitos de integridad y buenas prácticas científicas. Se buscó el objetivo de esbozar un panorama sobre el tema de la integridad científica en el Brasil a través del análisis de reflexiones e investigaciones publicadas en revistas científicas. Se realizó una revisión sistemática en bases de datos electrónicas: SciELO, PuBMed, LILACS/IBECS, Scopus y Web of Science, utilizándose palabras-clave para encontrar los artículos. Después de la aplicación de criterios de inclusión y exclusión fueron seleccionadas 19 publicaciones, agrupadas en seis categorías previamente definidas. El debate sobre la integridad científica es aún incipiente en este país. Los temas más discutidos fueron plagio y conflictos de intereses sobre autoría. Es necesario el acercamiento precoz a ese conocimiento en el proceso de formación académica de investigadores y jóvenes cientistas.
Bioética; Ética en investigación; Revisión de integridad científica; Mala conducta científica; Fraude; Brasil
Scientific production is an indicator of economic growth that has been receiving
attention in the last decades. The technological capacity of a country is regarded
as a source of financial independence and may lead to greater autonomy and
significant economic advances 11 . Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Policy
Brief: Science, technology and innovation in the new economy. [Internet]. Paris:
OECD; 2000 set [acesso 10 out 2014]. Disponível:
http://www.oecd.org/science/sci-tech/1918259.pdf
http://www.oecd.org/science/sci-tech/191...
.
The creation of human capital to provide support to an economy of knowledge
establishes a scenario in which developing nations may compete with great producers
of knowledge as the Unites States or Europe, as long as they start investing in
science and technology and seek to qualify their labor through high level education.
The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are countries that
presently stand out for their economic and scientific growth, competing with the
great economies. They thus follow the trend of investing increasingly more in
research, technology, innovation and education 22 . Scientific Electronic Library Online. Países em desenvolvimento
liderados pela China ameaçam domínio norte-americano na ciência. SciELO em
Perspectiva. [Internet]. 2014 abr [acesso 8 out 2014]. Disponível:
http://blog.scielo.org/blog/2014/04/17/paises-em-desenvolvimento-liderados-pela-china-ameacam-dominio-norte-americano-na-ciencia
http://blog.scielo.org/blog/2014/04/17/p...
. The challenge of science has surpassed the race for
new discoveries and creativity, as it became the target of great financial
speculation.
Scientific and technological production is necessarily followed by the process of
dissemination of knowledge. Data from the 2013 Triennial Assessment of the Brazilian
Ministry of Education, performed by the Coordination of Improvement of Higher
Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior –
Capes) on the growth of higher education in Brazil, show large extension in the
number of graduate courses in the country 33 . Brasil. Ministério da Educação/Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de
Pessoal de Nível Superior. Capes divulga resultado final da avaliação trienal
2013 após análise de recursos. [Internet]. 2014 maio [acesso 10 out 2014].
Disponível:
http://www.capes.gov.br/36-noticias/6908-capes-divulga-resultado-final-da-avaliacao-trienal-2013-apos-analise-de-recursos
http://www.capes.gov.br/36-noticias/6908...
. In the Global Research Report, published by the
Thomson Reuters agency, Brazil has reached significant relevance in terms of the
number of scientific publications. The document considered the total number of
publications in which at least one of the authors was Brazilian. From 3,000
publications in 1989, Brazil reached 19,000, in 2007, according to the research
performed by the agency 44 . Adams J, Christopher K. Global research report Brazil: Research
and collaboration in the new geography of science. New York: Thomson Reuters;
2009 jun [acesso 10 out 2014]. Disponível:
http://sciencewatch.com/sites/sw/files/sw-article/media/grr-brazil-Jun09.pdf.
http://sciencewatch.com/sites/sw/files/s...
.
The graduate programs in Brazil are evaluated by productivity criteria and one of the consequences of this is the increase in the number of scientific publications. Brazilian researchers reproduce what happens in the international context and experience the “publish or perish” routine. Through this view, the number of publications and the number of citations become more important than the quality of the production 55 . Fischer J, Ritchie EG, Hanspach J. Academia’s obsession with quantity. Trends Ecol Evol. 2012;27(9):473-4. , 66 . Reverter Masià J. Publicaciones científicas y evaluación de la vida profesional de un científico. Nutr Hosp. 2012;27(4):1.368-9.. However, the knowledge produced in the area of health brings and additional issue to be evaluated when the quality of the production is evaluated: the dissemination of results that may be directly applied to the improvement of the quality of life of the population 77 . Chaudhry B, Wang J, Wu S, Maglione M, Mojica W, Roth E et al. Systematic review: Impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and costs of medical care. Ann Intern Med. 2006;144(10):742-52..
The reflexion on topic of scientific integrity, as well as the design of clear rules
of good ethical and scientific practices to subsidize the process of production and
dissemination of knowledge may contribute to develop and increased concern on the
quality of the scientific practice and of the knowledge produced 88 . Macrina FL. Scientific integrity: Text and cases in responsible
conduct of research. 3ª ed. Washington: American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
Press; 2005.. The most discussed aspects of
inadequate conduct in research – fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism of data
or results (FFP) – receive more attention not only in countries potentially creators
of science but also in emerging nations that want to make the results of their
research visible 99 . Fanelli D. How many scientists fabricate and falsify research? A
systematic review and meta-analysis of survey data. PLoS ONE. [Internet]. 2009
[acesso 15 out 2014]; 4(5):e5738; 2009. Disponível:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0005738
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Ado...
.
Centrality that scientific integrity occupies in the practice of research starts to
be felt in Brazil. In 2010 the Primeiro Encontro Brasileiro de Integridade
Científica e Publicação Ética – I Brispe 1010 . First Brazilian Meeting on Research Integrity, Science and
Publication Ethics. I Brispe; 2010 dez 10-16 [acesso 15 ago 2014]; Rio de
Janeiro e São Paulo, Brasil. Disponível:
http://www.ibrispe.coppe.ufrj.br/port.php
http://www.ibrispe.coppe.ufrj.br/port.ph...
(“First Brazilian Meeting on Research Integrity,
Science and Publication Ethics”) - took place with the purpose to stimulate the
engagement of the scientific community to make the principles of scientific
integrity and good practices in Science be adopted in the country. Subsequent
meetings were promoted in the years 2012 (II Brispe) and 2014 (III Brispe), and the
fourth is scheduled for 2015, in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
In Brazil, the design and promotion of guidelines for scientific integrity with national reach are being initially disseminated by research funding agencies and scientific journals. One way to verify the progress of the debate and examine the appropriation of the topic by the Brazilian scientific community is through the analysis of articles on scientific integrity published in the periods indexed in databases. This way, the objective of the present study was to draw an outline on the theme of scientific integrity in Brazil through the analysis of reflections and studies published in scientific journals.
Methods
This is a systematic review study of the literature on the production of articles
related to scientific integrity in Brazil. The following research question was
designed to reach the proposed objective: “What is the state of the art of the
topic of scientific integrity in Brazil?” Seeking to promote transparency on the
methods and procedures utilized, the recommendations of the Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (Prisma)
1111 . PRISMA Statement. Transparent reporting of systematic reviews and
meta-analyses. [Internet]. [acesso 22 maio 2014]. Disponível:
http://www.prisma-statement.org
http://www.prisma-statement.org...
were followed.
Procedure for data collection: literature search
Research was conducted in electronic databases that preferably contain Brazilian journals and in Portuguese. Articles on the theme, written in other languages and that referred to Brazil were also analyzed. Databases researched were the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Lilacs/Ibecs (Latin-American and Caribbean Literature - Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe/Índice Bibliográfico Español en Ciencias de la Salud), PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, as illustrated in Figure 1. The search was conducted in the period between January and March 2014.
Articles published until January 2014 were considered, without restriction of date previous to this period. Since some articles could be published in English or Spanish ans still deal with Brazilian research, the same search matrix was used for all databases. The following keywords were employed, these are included in the Descritores em Ciências da Saúde - DeCS (Descriptors in Health Sciences), in their versions in English, Portuguese ans Spanish: “Scientific Integrity” OR “Ethics, Research” OR “Scientific Integrity Review” OR “Scientific Misconduct” OR “Plagiarism” OR “Duplicate Publication” OR “Retracted Publication” OR “Retraction of Publication” AND “Brazil”.
Inclusion Criteria
Studies published in Portuguese were preferably included. Articles in English and Spanish were considered only if published by Brazilian authors, representative of the national context. The articles were available in electronic version and dealt strictly with scientific integrity in its interface with the topics: ethics in research, quality of Brazilian research, perception of researchers and students on the theme, and theoretical reflections involving this theme.
Exclusion Criteria
Articles on clinical or observational research in the field of health in which the descriptors were among the keywords and the study object was not properly scientific integrity or research ethics. Articles for which the central object was distant form the discussion on scientific integrity in Brazil or editorials on the theme were not considered. In the case of duplicated articles – that were present in more than one database – one of them was excluded.
Selection and analysis
After the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 articles were selected for the review. Initially they were analyzed in the sections defined each of the journals, which are: 1) Articles: a) original, b) special, c) opinion, d) update; e) general articles; 2) Review; 3) Comment; 4) Point of view; 5) Free topics. After this, the articles were grouped in six categories representing the themes previously defined for this study: 1) Authorship conflicts; 2) Rules and guidelines of the editorial process; 3) Brazilian rules and guidelines; 4) Plagiarism; 5) Conflicts of interest; 6) Perception of scientific integrity.
In case of doubt about the inclusion of an article, the decision was made by consensus after evaluation of the contents by the authors. After the initial selection, each article was analyzed through its title, abstract and keywords, to check its adequacy to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. In the following stage, the whole text was read and then classified in the thematic categories created.
In the analysis of the selected articles, the following aspects were considered: year of publication, journal in which the article was published, impact factor and section of the journal in which the manuscript was included. Thereafter, each article was analyzed according to: objectives, methods, evidences produced and applicability and/or recommendations.
Results
Table 1 shows the 19 articles selected according to the date of publication.
Articles selected by year of publication, journal, impact factor, type of publication and topic category.
The 19 articles analyzed were included in different sections of the scientific journals, as follows: general articles: eight; special articles: two; original articles: three; opinion article: one: update article: um. The sections of Review, Commentary Point of view and Free Topics showed one article each. The main themes approached were computed in decreasing order of frequency of occurrence in the articles analyzed: 1) Plagiarism: five; 2) Authorship conflicts: four; 3) Brazilian rules and guidelines: four; 4) Conflicts of interest: three; 5) Rules and guidelines of the editorial process: two; 6) Perception of scientific integrity: two. It is important to mention that one of the articles approached two different themes – authorship conflicts and plagiarism –, and was included in both categories.
Table 2 at the end of this paper, shows the results according to the thematic category the article was classified in, according to aspects of its scientific classification. Concerning the methods adopted, the following designs were recorded: 1) Exploratory study: five; 3) Qualitative research: three; 3) Narrative review: three; 4) Documentary descriptive research: one; 5) Literature review and case study: one; 6) Without any scientific method, based on experience and register: one; 7) Methods not mentioned: five. In all articles selected it was possible to find or infer the objectives proposed and the evidence produced, from the research or the arguments presented.
Distribution of the selected articles according to the following aspects: objectives, methods, evidence produced, applicability and/or recommendations.
Discussion
It is shown that the topic of scientific integrity is still recent in the
Brazilian context, considering the first article found on the subject dates back
to 2005. However, this discussion has grown in Brazil as it exposes the need to
establish clear rules about the conducts of researchers. Funding agencies, such
as the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
(CNPq) and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São
Paulo (Fapesp), develop guidelines to ensure the adoption of good
scientific practices in the projects supported by these institutions 3131 . Brasil. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e
Tecnológico. Diretrizes sobre integridade científica. [Internet]. Brasília:
CNPq; 2012 [acesso 20 out 2014]. Disponível:
http://www.cnpq.br/pt/web/guest/documentos-do-cic
http://www.cnpq.br/pt/web/guest/document...
,
3232 . Estado de São Paulo. Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de
São Paulo. Código de boas práticas científicas. [Internet]. São Paulo: Fapesp;
2014 [acesso 20 out 2014]. Disponível:
http://www.fapesp.br/boaspraticas/FAPESP-Codigo_de_Boas_Praticas_Cientificas_2014.pdf
http://www.fapesp.br/boaspraticas/FAPESP...
. Such strategy is very
welcome, considering the growth of Brazilian science.
The articles dealt with various issues about scientific integrity, among them the
most discussed by authors were plagiarism 1616 . Silva OSF. Entre o plágio e a autoria: qual o papel da
universidade? Rev Bras Educ. 2008;13(38):357-414.
,
1818 . Vasconcelos S, Leta J, Costa L, Pinto A, Sorenson MM. Discussing
plagiarism in Latin American science. Brazilian researchers begin to address an
ethical issue. EMBO Reports. 2009;10(7):677-82.
,
2222 . Berlinck RGS. The academic plagiarism and its punishments: A
review. Rev Bras Farmacogn. 2011;21(3):365-72.
,
2424 . Krokoscz M. Abordagem do plágio nas três melhores universidades de
cada um dos cinco continentes e do Brasil. Rev Bras Educ.
2011;16(48):745-68.
,
3030 . Watanabe EH. A não linearidade entre a reação de quem copia e de
quem é copiado. Estud Av. 2014;28(80): 199-212. and authorship conflicts involving several
collaborators 1212 . Grieger MCA. Authorship: An ethical dilemma of science. São Paulo
Med J. 2005;123(5):242-6.
,
1515 . Grieger MCA. Escritores-fantasma e comércio de trabalhos
científicos na internet: a ciência em risco. Rev Assoc Med Bras.
2007;53(3):247-51.
,
1616 . Silva OSF. Entre o plágio e a autoria: qual o papel da
universidade? Rev Bras Educ. 2008;13(38):357-414.
,
2020 . Garcia CC, Martrucelli CRN, Rossilho MMF, Denardin OVP. Autoria em
artigos científicos: os novos desafios. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc.
2010;25(4):559-67.. This concern is understandable in a scientific
scenario where researchers are pressured to increase their production of
articles for publication, putting at risk the quality and validity of the
results presented 3333 . Tijdink JK, Vergouwen ACM, Smulders YM. Publication pressure and
burn out among Dutch medical professors: A nationwide survey. PLoS ONE.
[Internet]. 2013 [acesso 10 out 2014]; 2013;8(9):e73381. Disponível:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0073381
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Ado...
.
Although the concept of plagiarism is complex and must be understood from its historical-cultural context 22, it is a delicate issue that has not been discussed properly, also because there are specific guidelines on the subject in Latin-American institutions are practically nonexistent 1818 . Vasconcelos S, Leta J, Costa L, Pinto A, Sorenson MM. Discussing plagiarism in Latin American science. Brazilian researchers begin to address an ethical issue. EMBO Reports. 2009;10(7):677-82.. It was shown that this topic was approached by publications in journals form several fields, such as molecular biology, pharmacology, education and multidisciplinary, as it equally affects different areas of knowledge. Another important aspect in this discussion refers to the possibility of violation of rights of third parties, authorship rights, which implies the unduly use of texts and ideas without the due mention and or authorization when dealing with copyrighted documents 3030 . Watanabe EH. A não linearidade entre a reação de quem copia e de quem é copiado. Estud Av. 2014;28(80): 199-212.. Authors are unanimous in pointing to the need of early approach to this theme in the academic training, through educational strategies and the promotion of a culture of plagiarism prevention 1616 . Silva OSF. Entre o plágio e a autoria: qual o papel da universidade? Rev Bras Educ. 2008;13(38):357-414. , 1818 . Vasconcelos S, Leta J, Costa L, Pinto A, Sorenson MM. Discussing plagiarism in Latin American science. Brazilian researchers begin to address an ethical issue. EMBO Reports. 2009;10(7):677-82. . 2222 . Berlinck RGS. The academic plagiarism and its punishments: A review. Rev Bras Farmacogn. 2011;21(3):365-72. , 2424 . Krokoscz M. Abordagem do plágio nas três melhores universidades de cada um dos cinco continentes e do Brasil. Rev Bras Educ. 2011;16(48):745-68. , 3030 . Watanabe EH. A não linearidade entre a reação de quem copia e de quem é copiado. Estud Av. 2014;28(80): 199-212.
Authorship conflicts entered the repertoire of scientific integrity especially when the growing number of articles published in scientific journals form the 1990s is considered. This is attributed to the way of assessment the quality of a researcher is performed through the number of scientific articles the researcher publishes 1212 . Grieger MCA. Authorship: An ethical dilemma of science. São Paulo Med J. 2005;123(5):242-6.. The high demand for productivity in shorter time may be harmful to the creativity and the originality of the studies published. As a consequence, co-authorship has grown significantly as a way of demonstrating the establishment of national and/or international partnerships of researchers and research groups, which also increased the chances of publication in journals of international visibility. An interesting strategy co-authored studies is to establish transparency criteria that show the effective participation and collaboration of each of the authors in the production of the material submitted for publication 2020 . Garcia CC, Martrucelli CRN, Rossilho MMF, Denardin OVP. Autoria em artigos científicos: os novos desafios. Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc. 2010;25(4):559-67..
Regarding the thematic category “Brazilian rules and guidelines” 2323 . Fernandes MR, Queiroz MCCAM, Moraes MR, Barbosa MA, Souza ALL. Padrões éticos adotados pelas revistas científicas brasileiras das especialidades médicas. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2011;57(3):267-71. , 2626 . Guerriero ICZ, Minayo MCS. O desafio de revisar aspectos éticos das pesquisas em ciências sociais e humanas: a necessidade de diretrizes específicas. Physis. 2013;23(3):763-82. , 2828 . Malafaia G, Guilhem D, Talvani A. Do Brazilian scientific journals promote the adherence of Chagas disease researchers to international ethical principles? Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2013;55(3):159-65. , 2929 . Russo M. Ética e integridade na ciência: da responsabilidade do cientista à responsabilidade coletiva. Estud Av. 2014;28(80):189-98., the authors point out interesting aspects. Two articles focused in the analysis of the adherence to ethical requirements from the Brazilian normative framework by journals of different medical specialties. It was also observed that there are gaps in the standardization or the orientations to authors presented in the journals. In this sense, it becomes urgent to improve the requirements for submission and assessment of articles, in order to ensure the quality and reliability of the results presented 2323 . Fernandes MR, Queiroz MCCAM, Moraes MR, Barbosa MA, Souza ALL. Padrões éticos adotados pelas revistas científicas brasileiras das especialidades médicas. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2011;57(3):267-71. , 2828 . Malafaia G, Guilhem D, Talvani A. Do Brazilian scientific journals promote the adherence of Chagas disease researchers to international ethical principles? Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2013;55(3):159-65..
One of the articles in quite incisive in pointing out the inadequacy of Brazilian regulations for research involving human beings when applied to the areas of social sciences and humanities. The authors argue on the need to define specific regulations for the assessment of projects in these areas 2626 . Guerriero ICZ, Minayo MCS. O desafio de revisar aspectos éticos das pesquisas em ciências sociais e humanas: a necessidade de diretrizes específicas. Physis. 2013;23(3):763-82.. Another text considers that it is necessary to resume using values in the scientific practice, in order to keep ethics and integrity in science. This is a responsibility shared by researchers and the general society, a principle that emerges as an element that will subsidize the conduct of researches and oppose the impulse of 2929 . Russo M. Ética e integridade na ciência: da responsabilidade do cientista à responsabilidade coletiva. Estud Av. 2014;28(80):189-98.. That is, it becomes necessary to advance in the consolidation of specific regulations that contribute to the adoption of reliable and trustworthy behaviors.
Conflicts of interest in clinical research emerged as a relevant topic that causes concern among researchers who propose the discussion on scientific integrity 1414 . Alves EMO, Tubino P. Conflito de interesses em pesquisa clínica. Acta Cir Bras. 2007;22(5):412-5. , 1717 . Camargo Jr KR. Public health and the knowledge industry. Rev Saúde Pública. 2009;43(6):1.078-83. , 2727 . Souza RP, Rapoport A, Dedivitis RA, Cernea CR, Brandão LG. Conflitos de interesses na pesquisa médico-farmacológica. Rev Bioét. (Impr.). 2013;21(2):237-40.. An issue related to the interface between financing coming from the pharmaceutical industry and the distribution of knowledge as a strategic component for the process of attention in public health also arose 1717 . Camargo Jr KR. Public health and the knowledge industry. Rev Saúde Pública. 2009;43(6):1.078-83.. The authors point out that conflicts of interest are inevitable and constitutive of academic life and scientific practice. The great challenge, then, is not their eradication but to approach them transparently, because their recognition allows for their proper management 1414 . Alves EMO, Tubino P. Conflito de interesses em pesquisa clínica. Acta Cir Bras. 2007;22(5):412-5..
In order to minimize the conflicts of interest arising from biomedical research, all studies involving human beings must be assessed by research ethics committees before their start 2727 . Souza RP, Rapoport A, Dedivitis RA, Cernea CR, Brandão LG. Conflitos de interesses na pesquisa médico-farmacológica. Rev Bioét. (Impr.). 2013;21(2):237-40.. This idea must be widely disseminated and adopted in order to ensure the safety and dignity of the research participants, and presented to students early in their academic life.
Two studies presented research results on the subject of scientific integrity: one focusing on the conception of health graduate programs on the subject 2121 . Santana CC. O tema da integridade científica nas pós-graduações em saúde no Brasil. Rev. bioét. (Impr.). 2010; 18(3):637-44., and another addressing the perception of scientific integrity on the part of medical students 2525 . Schmitz PD, Menezes M, Lins L. Percepção de integridade científica para o estudante de medicina. Rev Bras Educ Med. 2012;36(4):447-55.. In the first one, web sites of 126 Brazilian programs in health were analyzed. It became clear that, besides the lack of concern over the issue of integrity in research in most graduate programs, scientific honesty is still not a priority for educational institutions 2121 . Santana CC. O tema da integridade científica nas pós-graduações em saúde no Brasil. Rev. bioét. (Impr.). 2010; 18(3):637-44.. In the second study, medical students were interviewed using qualitative research, and their results showed three distinct needs: 1) more effective approach to the Research Ethics Committee System; 2) further discussion in academia on the subject of scientific integrity; 3) adoption of theoretical and practical strategies for teaching scientific integrity in the medical curriculum 2525 . Schmitz PD, Menezes M, Lins L. Percepção de integridade científica para o estudante de medicina. Rev Bras Educ Med. 2012;36(4):447-55..
The last thematic category – Rules and guidelines of the editorial process – included two articles with distinct approaches 1313 . Gollogly L, Momen H. Ethical dilemmas in scientific publication: Pitfalls and solutions for editors. Rev Saúde Pública. 2006;40(N Esp):24-9. , 1919 . Tavares-Neto J, Azevêdo ES. Destaques éticos nos periódicos nacionais das áreas médicas. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2009;55(4):400-4.. In the first one, the authors set the objective as to supply definitions, ways of documenting the extension of the problem and examples of measures to avoid editorial fraud. Listed common problems of misconduct in science include: manufacturing, falsification, duplication, ghost authorship, gift authorship, lack of ethics in the approval of manuscripts, non disclosure of these facts, "salami" (fractionated) publication, conflicts of interest, self-citation, duplicate submission and publication, as well as plagiarism. At the same time, editorial misconduct includes failure to follow the due process, delay in decision making and communication with the authors, failure to review and confusion of the contents of a journal with their promotional and advertising potential. It was also evidenced that editors take privileged positions in the process of promoting appropriate practices for publication 1313 . Gollogly L, Momen H. Ethical dilemmas in scientific publication: Pitfalls and solutions for editors. Rev Saúde Pública. 2006;40(N Esp):24-9.. In the second article, the authors sought to assess the ethical highlights in the instructions to authors of national journals jointly cited by the four medical areas of Capes and qualified nationally as “A" internationally as "I". Although several gaps were found in the instructions to authors, the prevention of dishonesty mus be a responsibility shared among researchers, funding agencies, educational institutions scientific journals and the society in general 1919 . Tavares-Neto J, Azevêdo ES. Destaques éticos nos periódicos nacionais das áreas médicas. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2009;55(4):400-4..
One of the recurring aspects in the articles analyzed was the need of early
insertion of the scientific integrity theme and its different sides in the
process of academic education. It becomes necessary to develop strategies to
teach scientific integrity values in the undergraduate and graduate curricula
1515 . Grieger MCA. Escritores-fantasma e comércio de trabalhos
científicos na internet: a ciência em risco. Rev Assoc Med Bras.
2007;53(3):247-51.
,
1616 . Silva OSF. Entre o plágio e a autoria: qual o papel da
universidade? Rev Bras Educ. 2008;13(38):357-414.
,
1818 . Vasconcelos S, Leta J, Costa L, Pinto A, Sorenson MM. Discussing
plagiarism in Latin American science. Brazilian researchers begin to address an
ethical issue. EMBO Reports. 2009;10(7):677-82.
,
1919 . Tavares-Neto J, Azevêdo ES. Destaques éticos nos periódicos
nacionais das áreas médicas. Rev Assoc Med Bras.
2009;55(4):400-4.
,
2121 . Santana CC. O tema da integridade científica nas pós-graduações em
saúde no Brasil. Rev. bioét. (Impr.). 2010; 18(3):637-44.
,
2222 . Berlinck RGS. The academic plagiarism and its punishments: A
review. Rev Bras Farmacogn. 2011;21(3):365-72.
,
2424 . Krokoscz M. Abordagem do plágio nas três melhores universidades de
cada um dos cinco continentes e do Brasil. Rev Bras Educ.
2011;16(48):745-68.
,
2525 . Schmitz PD, Menezes M, Lins L. Percepção de integridade científica
para o estudante de medicina. Rev Bras Educ Med.
2012;36(4):447-55.
,
2929 . Russo M. Ética e integridade na ciência: da responsabilidade do
cientista à responsabilidade coletiva. Estud Av.
2014;28(80):189-98.
,
3030 . Watanabe EH. A não linearidade entre a reação de quem copia e de
quem é copiado. Estud Av. 2014;28(80): 199-212.. The incorporation of ethical
values and the consolidation of adequate behaviors for the scientific practice
must be widely diffused during the training of students and researchers. This
must come with adequate methods that stimulate personal and collective
strengthening toward scientific good practices and ethics 3434 . Guilhem D. Ética em pesquisa: avanços e desafios. RECIIS – R.
Eletr. de Com. Inf. Inov. Saúde. [Internet]. 2008 [acesso 10 out 2014];
2008;2(Sup 1):91-7. Disponível:
http://www.reciis.icict.fiocruz.br/index.php/reciis/article/view/212/191
http://www.reciis.icict.fiocruz.br/index...
.
Final considerations
It is important to point out that the limitations of this research are related to technical aspects as the restricted or inadequate use of the descriptors used for article indexing, which prevented the capture of some publications that could prove relevant to the discussion; and the unavailability of some articles in the electronic format.
However, this study verified the complexity the theme of scientific integrity assumes nowadays due to the accelerated growth of the scientific production. The early approach of this issue becomes mandatory, so that young scientists and researchers may acquire the terminology and concepts related to science integrity, which will contribute to the adoption of an ethical culture of scientific integrity.
Brazil needs to advance in the discussion of this theme, incorporating it to the process of academic training and continued education of researchers. However, this responsibility is not restricted to educational institutions. It must be shared by different actors and social institutions, extending to society as a whole. It is necessary to work in conjunction in toward establishing standards to be followed without costs for science and the producers of knowledge. It is necessary, still to define the possible penalties in case of misconduct in research so that abusive behaviors can be identified and corrected.
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» http://www.reciis.icict.fiocruz.br/index.php/reciis/article/view/212/191
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
Jan-Apr 2015
History
-
Received
28 Oct 2014 -
Reviewed
31 Jan 2015 -
Accepted
5 Feb 2015