Question

Identify and briefly describe the unethical study in research, Note the year the study occurred, and consider where in the development or conduct of the study that researchers or associated parties might have had the opportunity to intervene on behalf of the study's subjects.

Locate example of ethical misconduct in research using traditional or web resources.

Answer 1

Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
(a) Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
(b) Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
(c) Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
(d) Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion.

Answer 1

Michael LaCour is a political science doctoral graduate from UCLA. In December 2014, LaCour and his supervisor, Donald Green, published a paper in Science, which found that personal contact by homosexual male canvassers had lasting influences on voters’ attitudes toward homosexual male marriage. The results from the study refuted the established literature on the persuasive efficacy of canvassing. Research has shown people return to their initial political beliefs shortly after being influenced to be more conservative or more liberal by a canvasser.
As a result, LaCour and Green’s findings were profound and had extensive influence on other political science researchers’ methodologies, the outreach strategies of activists, and the allocation of grant funding. The paper also helped LaCour attain an employment offer from Princeton University. However, such groundbreaking findings would undoubtedly lead to replications. One researcher who attempted to replicate LaCour’s study was David Broockman, who upon doing so, wounded up unraveling a slew of research misconduct by Michael LaCour.

David Broockman, a political science doctoral graduate from UC Berkeley, was the first to attempt the replication, which eventually led to the allegation and the retraction of LaCour’s paper from Science. In 2013, Broockman (a doctoral student at the time) was so captivated by earlier published results of LaCour’s study that he attempted his own replication. The first irregularity he encountered was attaining the necessary resources to run the study. LaCour had apparently surveyed 10,000 subjects who were compensated with $100 each, which amounted to an improbable $1 million for any graduate student’s budget as well as those of the survey companies Broockman inquired for his own replication. Broockman also sent a request to uSamp, the same survey company LaCour used to collect his data, and found out LaCour never worked with uSamp and had instead, fabricated an entire email correspondence with a uSamp representative. Additionally, it was found that LaCour had made up this uSamp representative himself.

​​​​​​This case is found to be a clear example of fabrication and falsification.

Answer 2

Examples of ethical mis conduct in research

Example 1

Case of vipul prabhu-2010

A clear example of fabrication.

A study conducted by michigan university PhD student Heather Ames was sabotaged by Vipul prabhu by adding ethanol in the cell culture.

Example 2

John Subdo- 1993-2005

A research into prevention of oral cancer in the norwegian radium hospital.

Clear example of fabrication and falsification.

In 2005 paper lancet raised instant accusation as the database of the study contained 900 patients who were not on authority records at the time cited.

Example 3

Hwang woo suck 2004-2005

Clear example of fabrication, falsification, exploitation and embezzlement.

Published papers regarding production of human embryonic stem cells via nuclear transfer to somatic cells. The data was found to be fabricated. He also procured human eggs by unethical means including female team members to super ovulate.

Example 4