Ethics Flashcards
What are some consequences of fabrication/falsification of data in scientific research?
- Retraction of published papers and damage to reputation
- Loss of funding and research grants
What is the purpose(s) of research within natural sciences?
- To produces consistent and stable results across the same conditions
- To accurately assess what it is intended to measure
What is the bioethical principle of autonomy?
Respecting an individual’s right to make their own decisions
Which of the following can be considered important principles in research ethics?
- Ensuring the confidentiality of research participants’ data
- Protecting the rights and welfare of research participants
- Honesty and transparency in reporting research findings
What is the purpose(s) of research within natural sciences?
- To maintain a neutral and impartial attitude towards research and its outcomes
- To confirm or disprove previous research findings
Which alternative(s) represents good research practice?
The practice of sharing research data, resources, and findings openly with others in the scientific community
What activities constitute falsification of data in scientific research?
Altering or manipulating existing data to fit desired outcomes
What is the purpose(s) of research within natural sciences?
- To replicate research studies to confirm their findings and reduce the likelihood of false positive results
- To make a neutral and impartial assessment of the natural world
What activities constitute fabrication of data in scientific research?
Making up data that were never collected
What signifies good research within natural sciences?
- Results should be consistent under similar conditions
- Should be independent of the funding agency
What is fabrication in terms of scientific conduct?
Making up results that were never obtained
What is considered ethical when reporting scientific results?
Removing data points that are outside the range of possible values
Which of the following can be considered important principles in research ethics?
Honesty and transparency in reporting research findings
In what situations does obtaining informed consent for participation in a study imply respect for personal autonomy?
- When an adult makes and expresses an informed choice
- When parents give informed consent on behalf of their toddler
- When a sister gives informed consent on behalf of her unconscious brother, who previously has communicated his relevant preferences and values to her
What is considered unethical handling of data in scientific research?
- Changing research findings to match the expected results
- Deliberately altering research data
- Altering data to support a predetermined hypothesis
What is the purpose(s) of research within natural sciences?
- To uncover underlying principles and mechanisms
- To be free from bias
Which are potential examples of violating confidentiality in research?
- Disclosing participants’ personal information without their consent
- Sharing anonymized raw data with colleagues for collaborative research
- Including participants with similar characteristics in a study without their knowledge
What are some of the consequences of scientific misconduct?
- Undermines the integrity and credibility of science
- Wastes valuable resources and time of researchers and institutions
- Misleads the public and policy-makers based on false or manipulated data
Which of the following are examples of scientific misconduct?
- Failing to report results that contradict a hypothesis
- Selecting research data to obtain desired results
Which of the following are examples of scientific misconduct?
- Intentionally mislabeling a sample in the lab
- Creating research data to support a hypothesis
What are some of the consequences of scientific misconduct?
- Could undermine public trust in science and scientific institutions
- Delays scientific progress and hinders the development of new treatments or technologies
- Loss of funding and reputation for the researcher and institution involved
Why is it important to avoid research misconduct?
- The researcher should not risk breaking the law in Sweden that regulates the responsibility for good research practice
- People could suffer severe harm if medical treatment is based on data that has been altered
- Research misconduct can erode the trust between researchers, funding agencies and people who participate in research projects, e.g., patients and research subjects
- Research misconduct undermines the confidence in scientific results
How can research misconduct be avoided?
- Each researcher should be updated on rules and regulations for good research practice in order to avoid research misconduct
- The researcher should understand what is meant by honest errors and differences in opinion versus research misconduct
Which of the following are examples of potential conflicts of interest in research?
- The editor was until recently the authors supervisor
- The researcher’s spouse has stocks in a company that could benefit from the study results
Which of the following are examples of potential conflicts of interest in research?
- The researcher owns stock in a company that could benefit from the study results
- The research is funded by a private company
What potential harm is most important to consider in biobank research?
Harm related to sensitive personal information in the biobank
Who investigates research misconduct at Uppsala University?
- A national authority - Board for Assessment of Research Misconduct
- Uppsala University - Board for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research
Harm, and risk of harm, from participation in research may be of different kinds. What statements are correct?
Research may be harmful even if it contains no invasive procedures and no sensitive information
Which of the following are example of violation of the principle of confidentiality in research?
The researcher discloses participants’ personal information to third parties without their consent
What is correct regarding the Vancouver rules on publishing?
- Include authors that substantially contributed to the research itself
- Provide guidelines for citing and referencing sources in scientific writing
- Require authors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest
What does it always imply when a study involving human or animal participants gets ethical approval from the relevant authorities?
All things considered; the benefits of research are deemed more important in relation to the study than the disadvantages of participation
Who could be included as an author in the publication of scientific work?
- The colleague who contributed with important intellectual interpretation of results
- The post doc who drafted the manuscript
What is correct regarding the Vancouver rules for authorship?
- To make sure that all authors can take appropriate responsibility for the paper
- Require authors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest
Salami slicing of papers is bad primarily for the reason that
It overrepresents the research field
Which of the following statements is true of ethical review of research applications involving human beings in Sweden?
Ethical review is conducted by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority
What is the main objective of the Nagoya Protocol?
To regulate access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits that accrue from the utilization of these
Who could be included as an author in the publication of scientific work?
- The master’s student who collected the data
- The professor who designed the study
What statement is true of research involving sensitive personal data?
Ethical approval is always required when processing such data for research purposes
Who could be included as an author in the publication of scientific work?
- The technician who collected the data
- The PhD-student who analysed the data
Which of the following is a common criterion for being an author on a research article?
Having reviewed and provided feedback on the manuscript
Which of these inputs do not merit authorship according to Vancouver?
Being in charge of the research group
For work normally requiring ethical review: When is it relevant to apply for an ethical review of a student’s work?
- If student’s work is to be published in a scientific journal
- If the work is to be included in a doctoral thesis
- When student’s work is part of the supervisor’s project
You should keep away from so-called predatory journals, because?
- They often lack a proper peer-review process
- They have low academic quality
What activities justify a person as an author on a research paper?
- Conducting literature review and preparing the manuscript
- Contributing to the study design and data analysis
Which of the following are examples of reputable and reliable venues for research publication?
- Nature and Science journals
- Peer-reviewed journals published by established academic publishers such as Elsevier or Springer
