Perceptions of occurrence of research misconduct and related factors among Kenyan investigators engaged in HIV research

ABSTRACT

We report on occurrence and correlates of self-reported research misconduct (RM) by 100 Kenyan researchers who had received ethics approval for an HIV research in the 5 years preceding the survey. The survey used the Scientific Misconduct Questionnaire-Revised tool uploaded on a Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCAP) platform. The response rate was low at 17.3% (100 out of 577) with 53.9% reporting awareness of an incident of RM in the preceding 5 years. Awareness was associated with being in academia, perception of vulnerability to being caught, and the severity of possible punishment, if discovered. Two-thirds (68.3%) reported ever-involvement in any misconduct. Self-report of involvement in misconduct was associated with knowledge of rules and procedures on RM and a disposition to support such rules and regulations. Nearly 36% reported ever-involvement infabrication, falsification and/or plagiarism (FFP). Self-report of ever-involvement in FFP was associated with number of years in the academic position, perceived likelihood of being caught, and the perceived severity of the sanctions, if caught. We conclude that the occurrence of RM is not uncommon, and efforts to create awareness about RM as well as to establish institutional structures and policies on RM are needed.

KEYWORDS:

• research misconduct
• HIV researchers
• Kenya

Acknowledgments

We thank the researchers and staff in HIV research projects who participated in the online survey, and without whose agreement to take part in this study, the objectives of the project would not have been achieved. We also appreciate the Institute of Biomedical Informatics of Moi University for their support with REDCAP services.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors’ Contribution

This study was designed by EW and JK. EW drafted the first draft; EK cleaned and analyzed the data. EW, JK, and EK made revisions on the drafts. All authors read and approved the final draft of the manuscript.

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the paper and supporting information files.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number G11TW010554. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Health].1