Wilson Kenneth, Schreier Alan, Griffin Angel, Resnik David
Department of Sociology and the Division of Research and Graduate Studies, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
Account Res. 2007 Jan-Mar;14(1):57-71. doi: 10.1080/08989620601126017.
Accurate record keeping is an important part of the responsible conduct of research. However, there is very little empirical research on scientific record keeping. No one knows the incidence of serious problems with research records, the types of problems that occur, nor their consequences. In this study, we examined the role of research records in the resolution of misconduct allegations as a useful barometer for the incidence and types of problems that occur with records. We interviewed Research Integrity Officers (RIOs) at 90 major research universities and conducted focus groups with active research faculty. RIOs reported problems with research records in 38% of the 553 investigations they conducted. Severe problems with research records often prevented completion of investigations while problems that are more typical lengthened them by 2 to 3 weeks. Five types of poor record keeping practices accounted for 75 % of the problems with incomplete/inadequate records being the most common (30%). The focus groups concurred with the findings from the interviews with RIOs, stressed the importance of the research group leader in setting and maintaining record practices, and offered additional insights. While university officials and faculty members have suspected for many years that there are serious problems with research record keeping, our study provides empirical evidence for this belief. By documenting some of the problems with record keeping in university-based research, the results of our study provide information that will be useful for policy development at academic institutions.
准确的记录保存是负责任的科研行为的重要组成部分。然而，关于科学记录保存的实证研究非常少。没有人知道研究记录出现严重问题的发生率、出现的问题类型及其后果。在本研究中，我们将研究记录在不当行为指控解决过程中的作用作为记录出现问题的发生率和类型的有用晴雨表进行了考察。我们采访了90所主要研究型大学的研究诚信官员（RIO），并与活跃的科研教师进行了焦点小组讨论。RIO报告称，在他们进行的553项调查中，有38%的调查存在研究记录问题。研究记录的严重问题常常阻碍调查的完成，而较为典型的问题则使调查延长2至3周。五种不良记录保存做法占记录不完整/不充分问题的75%，其中记录不完整/不充分是最常见的问题（占30%）。焦点小组认同对RIO的访谈结果，强调研究小组组长在设定和维持记录做法方面的重要性，并提供了更多见解。虽然大学官员和教师多年来一直怀疑研究记录保存存在严重问题，但我们的研究为这一观点提供了实证证据。通过记录大学科研中记录保存的一些问题，我们的研究结果提供了将有助于学术机构制定政策的信息。
