Researchers Behaving Badly

Australia (and Melbourne in particular) seeks to hold itself up as a global heavyweight in the fields of scientific and medical research. But what if that position is undermined by questions raised regarding the integrity of the research being reported?

Science is knowledge gained through repeated observation or experiment. It is communicated through publication of papers in journals. Science can only flourish if its results are reproducible, journals maintain minimal standards, and papers are read critically.

This talk will provide some examples of where this can go wrong and will be illustrated by examples of papers by high profile researchers in prestigious journals. In Australia research misconduct is managed by a “self-regulation” model – in which people sit in judgement of their colleagues – whereas 23 countries in Europe, the US, Canada, UK, and China have national offices that handle alleged cases of research misconduct. Prof Vaux will make the case for a national office for research integrity in Australia.

Emeritus Professor David Vaux is an honorary fellow of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI). He graduated in medicine from the University of Melbourne, and completed a PhD at WEHI before a post-doctoral placement at Stanford University. His research was concerned with the molecular mechanisms of cell death. He also has an interest in research integrity and the seamier side of science. He is a member of the board of directors of The Centre For Scientific Integrity, the parent organization of the Retraction Watch blog.