Abstract
Although questionable research practices (QRPs) and p-hacking have received attention in recent years, little research has focused on their prevalence and acceptance in students. Students are the researchers of the future and will represent the field in the future. Therefore, they should not be learning to use and accept QRPs, which would reduce their ability to produce and evaluate meaningful research. 207 psychology students and fresh graduates provided self-report data on the prevalence and predictors of QRPs. Attitudes towards QRPs, belief that significant results constitute better science or lead to better grades, motivation, and stress levels were predictors. Furthermore, we assessed perceived supervisor attitudes towards QRPs as an important predictive factor. The results were in line with estimates of QRP prevalence from academia. The best predictor of QRP use was students’ QRP attitudes. Perceived supervisor attitudes exerted both a direct and indirect effect via student attitudes. Motivation to write a good thesis was a protective factor, whereas stress had no effect. Students in this sample did not subscribe to beliefs that significant results were better for science or their grades. Such beliefs further did not impact QRP attitudes or use in this sample. Finally, students engaged in more QRPs pertaining to reporting and analysis than those pertaining to study design. We conclude that supervisors have an important function in shaping students’ attitudes towards QRPs and can improve their research practices by motivating them well. Furthermore, this research provides some impetus towards identifying predictors of QRP use in academia.
Highlights
In recent years, consternation in the scientific community has been growing due to the potentially widespread use of questionable research practices (QRPs)
There is some disagreement on the actual prevalence of such practices [8], John and colleagues’ work found alarmingly high rates of research psychologists who reported having engaged in QRPs at least once in their career
Estimates for individual QRPs vary between these studies, it seems clear that there is a significant issue with their use in academic psychology today
Summary
Consternation in the scientific community has been growing due to the potentially widespread use of questionable research practices (QRPs). [6]), academic economics [7], and psychology [8,9,10] In the latter field, the discussion of QRPs has generally centered on specific forms of distortion based on data collection rules and incomplete reporting of statistical results [3], exemplified by the survey by John and colleagues [9]. There is some disagreement on the actual prevalence of such practices [8], John and colleagues’ work found alarmingly high rates of research psychologists who reported having engaged in QRPs at least once in their career. Estimates for individual QRPs vary between these studies, it seems clear that there is a significant issue with their use in academic psychology today
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