This project entails an investigation into responsible academic research conduct. In the first stage of the project, we studied academic researchers’ perceptions of the relative importance of the individual responsibilities contained in the ‘Singapore Statement on Research Integrity’. We also explored their perceptions of the effect of research integrity enablers (codes of conduct, staff training, mentoring and peer pressure) on responsible conduct of research. The study involved a global online survey of current university researchers. To establish the hierarchy of researcher responsibilities, we used the choice-based Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) research method. The BWS data were used in a latent class analysis to identify homogeneous sub-groups of researchers. The insights from the study help advance the understanding and promotion of integrity in academic research.
The findings from the first study are also the basis for a further investigation of responsible academic research conduct. We intend to develop a choice experiment that focuses on the key determining factors of research misconduct. Identifying those main drivers will help university policy making on academic research integrity.
