Abstract
The pressure for scientific production, the allowances of the modern cybernetic world, and insufficient ethical research training of researchers have led to an increasing number of retractions, including in the area of oral sciences. In 2006, a famous oncologist admitted that he had falsified data in three published papers; consequently, he was investigated for other misconduct in science. Scientific journal editors have a great responsibility in the process of preventing dishonesty in research, because they can retract an article whenever they have clear evidence of misconduct. The journal reviewers also must take co-responsibility about scientific integrity in the publication process. However, it is difficult for editors to find uncompromised reviewers as there are increasing demands for publication, requiring a faster review response. Although the editorial system can help in preventing dishonesty in science, this effort can only reach the tip of the iceberg. Editors and reviewers have unique responsibilities in the process of identifying methodological problems and inconsistency of the research. However, social control for good science must be a duty of the whole scientific community, as research fraud has serious consequences for society, exposing participants to risks and making inappropriate use of human and financial resources. The process of training in research ethics should start at the undergraduate level, and surveillance by reviewers, editors, researchers, institutions, and government agencies is mandatory to ensure good practice in science.
Highlights
As in other fields of Science, Oral Science researchers have faced dilemmas related to scientific integrity
Pressure for production, the allowances of the modern cybernetic world, and insufficient ethical research training of researchers have led to an increasing number of paper retractions, including in the area of the Oral Sciences
The case involved an international collaboration in the field of oral cancer prevention, partially sponsored by the U.S National Cancer Institute, and it raised questions about what researchers in institutional projects should do in order to assure research accountability and validity of data collected during collaboration [1]
Summary
As in other fields of Science, Oral Science researchers have faced dilemmas related to scientific integrity. Pressure for production, the allowances of the modern cybernetic world, and insufficient ethical research training of researchers have led to an increasing number of paper retractions, including in the area of the Oral Sciences. A review of 2,047 articles retracted in the medical literature revealed that misconduct in science has been more frequently documented than previously appreciated [3].
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