{"id":3897,"date":"2019-07-16T13:26:35","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T04:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/163.180.4.222\/lab\/?p=3897"},"modified":"2019-07-16T13:26:35","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T04:26:35","slug":"scandal-weary-swedish-government-takes-over-research-fraud-investigations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3897","title":{"rendered":"Scandal-weary Swedish government takes over research-fraud investigations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5>The Research Misconduct Board is one of the first national agencies tasked with investigating serious research misconduct.<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article__body serif cleared\">\n<figure class=\"figure\">\n<div class=\"embed intensity--high\">\n<div class=\"embed intensity--high\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nature.com\/w800\/magazine-assets\/d41586-018-05493-3\/d41586-018-05493-3_16899078.jpg\" alt=\"Paolo Macchiarini\" data-src=\"\/\/media.nature.com\/w800\/magazine-assets\/d41586-018-05493-3\/d41586-018-05493-3_16899078.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p class=\"figure__caption sans-serif\"><span class=\"mr10\">Trachea surgeon Paolo Macchiarini was at the centre of a high-profile case of research misconduct in Sweden.<\/span>Credit: Lina Alriksson\/DN\/TT\/PA<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bruised by a string of high-profile scientific-misconduct cases, Sweden has laid the legislative groundwork for a government agency that will handle all allegations of serious\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-019-01727-0\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-019-01727-0\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">research misconduct<\/a>. The country follows in the footsteps of neighbouring Denmark, which created the world\u2019s first such agency in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents say that handling research-misconduct investigations centrally should ensure equal, impartial treatment. But others say the move will divert resources and attention away from less serious breaches that universities will continue to deal with in-house and which, they argue, cumulatively do more damage than some more serious misdemeanours.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"recommended pull pull--left sans-serif\" data-label=\"Related\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-019-01884-2\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-label=\"recommended article\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"recommended__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nature.com\/w400\/magazine-assets\/d41586-018-05493-3\/d41586-018-05493-3_16825544.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"recommended__title serif\">What universities can learn from one of science\u2019s biggest frauds<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The way in which Swedish research institutes handle allegations of research misconduct has come under fire in recent years \u2014 thanks in part to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/macchiarini-scandal-is-a-valuable-lesson-for-the-karolinska-institute-1.20539\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/macchiarini-scandal-is-a-valuable-lesson-for-the-karolinska-institute-1.20539\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">case of trachea surgeon Paolo Macchiarini<\/a>. Macchiarini had been accused of misconduct relating to trials of an experimental trachea-transplant method, in which some patients died. On three occasions in 2015, the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/artificial-windpipe-pioneer-cleared-of-misconduct-1.18264\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/artificial-windpipe-pioneer-cleared-of-misconduct-1.18264\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">cleared him<\/a>, but independent investigations commissioned by the Karolinska later found that he had committed misconduct. A 2016 independent commission concluded that the institute\u2019s procedures were flawed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Central changes<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Swedish government launched an independent inquiry in 2015 to investigate whether new systems are needed for dealing with research misconduct. But the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/culture-of-silence-and-nonchalance-protected-disgraced-trachea-surgeon-updated-1.20533\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/culture-of-silence-and-nonchalance-protected-disgraced-trachea-surgeon-updated-1.20533\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">Macchiarini case<\/a>\u00a0\u201cchanged the whole landscape\u201d of how to approach research misconduct in Sweden, says Margaretha Fahlgren, who studies literature at Uppsala University and led the inquiry. \u201cIt became very messy,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>Weaknesses in Swedish university probes came to light again in 2017, because of a now-retracted paper in\u00a0<i>Science<\/i><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-018-05493-3?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nature%2Frss%2Fcurrent+%28Nature+-+Issue%29#ref-CR1\" data-track=\"click\" data-action=\"anchor-link\" data-track-label=\"go to reference\" data-track-category=\"references\">1<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/controversial-microplastics-study-to-be-retracted-1.21929\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/controversial-microplastics-study-to-be-retracted-1.21929\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">claimed that microplastic pollution harms fish<\/a>. An investigation by Uppsala University, where the study\u2019s two authors were based, exonerated them. But the case was referred to the research-misconduct committee of Sweden\u2019s Central Ethical Review Board for an independent investigation, which found the researchers had committed scientific misconduct. (In the existing system, universities and whistle-blowers can ask this committee for advice on cases or to conduct independent investigations, but the committee will be disbanded with the creation of the new agency.)<\/p>\n<p>In February 2017, Fahlgren\u2019s inquiry to Sweden\u2019s research ministry that scientific organizations refer all cases of alleged misconduct to a new government agency \u2014 to be called the Research Misconduct Board \u2014 for investigation. The board, it advised, should be chaired by a judge and consist of up to ten scientists with expertise in different fields.<\/p>\n<p>The agency will be created through a law that passed parliament on 18 June and is expected to come into force in January 2020. The law defines research misconduct as fabrication, falsification or plagiarism. All cases of alleged serious research misconduct at publicly funded research institutes will be referred to the board for investigation. Findings will be made public and will be legally binding for universities, which will be allowed to decide the consequences for the researcher.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed system is an improvement, says Karin \u00c5mossa, head of research and international affairs at the Swedish Association of University Teachers and Researchers in Stockholm. Currently, institutions investigate most allegations internally, which can lead to some cases not being treated fairly or transparently, she says. Institutions can ask the Central Ethical Review Board for advice, but they are not obliged to uphold the board\u2019s findings. And different universities might not agree on what constitutes misconduct.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"recommended pull pull--left sans-serif\" data-label=\"Related\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/culture-of-silence-and-nonchalance-protected-disgraced-trachea-surgeon-updated-1.20533\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-label=\"recommended article\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"recommended__image\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nature.com\/w400\/magazine-assets\/d41586-018-05493-3\/d41586-018-05493-3_15886710.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"recommended__title serif\">Culture of silence and nonchalance protected disgraced trachea surgeon<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pam Fredman, vice-chancellor of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, says that it is important for cases of misconduct to be brought into the open to show researchers that these behaviours are not acceptable. \u201cWe need to protect research at universities, and for people to trust universities,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need for transparency<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alan Price, a consultant in Lago Vista, Texas, who works with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/misconduct-lessons-from-researcher-rehab-1.20029\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/misconduct-lessons-from-researcher-rehab-1.20029\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">people who have been accused of research misconduct<\/a>, says that a central misconduct agency would ensure consistency in investigations\u2019 rigour. But it could leave the committee overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases referred to it.<\/p>\n<p>But not everyone is convinced. Probes into conduct should remain in-house, with systems put in place to improve them, says Nicholas Steneck, an independent research-integrity consultant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. \u201cIf universities cannot be trusted to carry out responsible investigations, why should we trust them with any research funding?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Some experts think that less serious ethical breaches, such as the misrepresentation of data, do more harm to science than those covered by the Swedish law. \u201cSignificant resources are being spent on a problem that might not be the most significant,\u201d Steneck says.<\/p>\n<p>Other countries are looking at how they deal with research misconduct. In July 2017, Denmark established a national system similar to Sweden\u2019s. It has so far investigated nine cases.<\/p>\n<p>In the United Kingdom, a parliamentary inquiry suggested in 2018 that the government\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.natureindex.com\/news-blog\/british-universities-fail-at-research-integrity-self-regulation\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.natureindex.com\/news-blog\/british-universities-fail-at-research-integrity-self-regulation\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">set up a national committee to monitor universities\u2019 misconduct investigations<\/a>, and China last year announced\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-018-05359-8\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-018-05359-8\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">sweeping reforms to crack down on poor scientific behaviour<\/a>\u00a0in universities.<\/p>\n<p>Fahlgren hopes that Sweden\u2019s move will shore up the public trust in research, which declined as a result of the Macchiarini case. \u201cThe research community has been very highly trusted by the public,\u201d she says, \u201cbut when we had this big scandal, it changed the public image of research and researchers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"emphasis\">Nature<\/span>\u00a0<strong>571<\/strong>, 158 (2019)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"emphasis\">doi: 10.1038\/d41586-018-05493-3<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>(\uc6d0\ubb38: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-018-05493-3?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nature%2Frss%2Fcurrent+%28Nature+-+Issue%29\">\uc5ec\uae30<\/a>\ub97c \ud074\ub9ad\ud558\uc138\uc694~)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; The Research Misconduct Board is one of the first national agencies tasked with investigating serious research misconduct. &nbsp; &nbsp; Trachea surgeon Paolo Macchiarini<a href=\"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3897\" class=\"more-link\">(more&#8230;)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[32,29,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-essays-on-science","category-lets-do-science","category-recent-science-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1830,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=1830","url_meta":{"origin":3897,"position":0},"title":"Austrian agency shows how to tackle scientific misconduct","author":"biochemistry","date":"September 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 (\uc6d0\ubb38) \u00a0 \u00a0 A decade on from a major academic scandal, officials there have got their act together. \u00a0 \u00a0 Austria has made great progress on handling allegations of bad behaviour in the lab.Credit: Getty \u00a0 \u00a0 Many countries are trying to clamp down on scientific misconduct. Last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3807,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3807","url_meta":{"origin":3897,"position":1},"title":"What universities can learn from one of science\u2019s biggest frauds","author":"biochemistry","date":"June 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 Detailed analysis of misconduct investigations into huge research fraud suggests institutional probes aren\u2019t rigorous enough. \u00a0 \u00a0 Bone-health research was hit by a sprawling case of misconduct that affected tens of studies.Credit: Auscape\/Universal Images Group\/ Getty By day, Andrew Grey studies bone health. But over the past few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1912,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=1912","url_meta":{"origin":3897,"position":2},"title":"\u2018Severe\u2019 figure manipulation found in studies from leading plant lab","author":"biochemistry","date":"September 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \uacfc\ud559\uc758 \uad8c\ub825\ud654 \ub54c\ubb38\uc77c\uae4c\uc694, \uc544\ub2c8\uba74 \uacfc\ud559\uc758 \ud55c \ud2b9\uc9d5\uc778 \uc120\ucde8\uad8c \ub54c\ubb38\uc77c\uae4c\uc694? \ub610 \ud558\ub098\uc758 \ub370\uc774\ud130 \uc870\uc791 \uc0ac\ub840\uc5d0 \uad00\ud55c Nature \ub274\uc2a4\uc785\ub2c8\ub2e4. (\uc6d0\ubb38: \uc5ec\uae30\ub97c \ud074\ub9ad\ud558\uc138\uc694~) \u00a0 Investigation turns up evidence of misconduct in publications from troubled French laboratory. \u00a0 \u00a0 A fresh investigation into publications from a French plant-biology laboratory has revealed \u201csevere\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3166,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=3166","url_meta":{"origin":3897,"position":3},"title":"Duke University\u2019s huge misconduct fine is a reminder to reward rigour","author":"biochemistry","date":"April 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 US$112.5-million settlement concerning fraudulent data is a casualty of a culture that prizes impact over robustness, says Arturo Casadevall. \u00a0 \u00a0 Last week, Duke University announced it would pay the US government US$112.5 million to settle claims that fraudulent data were used in dozens of research-grant applications. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1369,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=1369","url_meta":{"origin":3897,"position":4},"title":"India cracks down on plagiarism at universities","author":"biochemistry","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 (\uc6d0\ubb38) \u00a0 \u00a0 But some researchers say new rules don\u2019t go far enough. \u00a0 \u00a0 Researchers can be sacked for plagiarizing under the new rules.\u00a0Credit: Osmania Univ.\/Alamy \u00a0 \u00a0 India has for the first time introduced regulations to detect and punish acts of plagiarism at universities. Punishments for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1805,"url":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?p=1805","url_meta":{"origin":3897,"position":5},"title":"University says prominent food researcher committed academic misconduct","author":"biochemistry","date":"September 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 (\uc6d0\ubb38) \u00a0 \u00a0 Brian Wansink will retire at the end of the academic year, according to Cornell University. \u00a0 Food researcher Brian Wansink has had a total of 13 studies retracted from journals.Credit: Lefty Shivambu\/Gallo Images\/Getty \u00a0 \u00a0 Food psychologist Brian Wansink has submitted his resignation to Cornell\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays on Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays on Science","link":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/?cat=32"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Xo1j-10R","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3898,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions\/3898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biochemistry.khu.ac.kr\/lab\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}