Proposing Disciplinary Charter of Research Misconduct: a Qualitative Study

Background & Objective: The number of research misconduct cases seems to be increasing so the need for developing a disciplinary charter of research misconduct is felt more than ever This study was aimed to propose and develop a charter to determine types of research misconduct and dealing with them Methods: In this qualitative study three consensus rounds were conducted Each round consisted of five to six qualified experts with related specialties They included one member of academic staff with sufficient experience in research management two experts in professional ethics and two experts in legal affairs Each session lasted for ۱۵ to ۲ hours Based on an extensive literature review and personal experiences the different types of research misconduct were extracted in the first two sessions and in the third round agreement on classification of research misconduct was made Results: In general ۴۹ types of research misconduct were explored and defined including ۱۷ mild ۲۲ moderate and ۱۰ severe ones B ased on the severity of each type an appropriate penalty like verbal warnings and summons to early retirement with reduced payment base was determined Finally the expert panel made some comments Conclusion: The results of this study revealed different types of research misconduct and dealing with them Such an understanding can lead to a better design of national charters compatible with Iranian culture and it can also be as a base for preventive interventions

Keywords:

Research misconduct , Fraud , Biomedical research , Ethics