Malaysian researchers talk about the influence of culture on research misconduct in higher learning institutions

ABSTRACT

Based on a previous survey by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) in the USA, a considerable number of foreign research scientists have been found guilty of research misconduct. However, it remains unclear as to whether or not cultural factors really contribute to research misconduct. This study is based on a series of interviews with Malaysian researchers from the local universities regarding their own professional experiences involving working with researchers or research students from different countries or of different nationalities. Most of the researchers interviewed agreed that cultures do shape individual character, which influences the way that such individuals conduct research, their decision-making, and their style of academic writing. Our findings also showed that working culture within the institution also influences research practices, as well as faculty mentorship of the younger generation of researchers. Given the fact such misconduct might be due to a lack of understanding of research or working cultures or practices within the institution, the impact on the scientific community and on society could be destructive. Therefore, it is suggested that the institution has an important role to play in orienting foreign researchers through training, mentoring, and discussion with regard to the “does” and “don’ts” related to research, and to provide them with an awareness of the importance of ethics when it comes to conducting research.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic culture
• ethical decision-making
• research ethics
• research in developing countries
• research integrity

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our participants for their valuable opinions and views on the topic. We are also grateful to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for funding this study [DLP-2015-004]. We also would like to thank all authors for their contributions to the development of this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia [FRGS/1/2017/SSI12/UKM/01/1].