by Maeve Luthin, JD, Professional Development Manager
It’s been a challenging several days in the research world with uncertainty looming in the wake of the shutdown of the federal government last week. We offer our support to colleagues directly affected by this development and to those who are feeling its far-reaching impact. In this week’s Research Ethics Roundup, we provide information about the shutdown’s effects as well as a look back at two seminal events that helped shape the field.
Federal Government Shutdown: On Tuesday, October 1, following disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on a budget for the fiscal year, the United States federal government shut down. The impact on science and biomedical research is wide ranging: many ongoing studies have been put on hold, and agencies charged with both research and its oversight are largely closed. Below are links to contingency plans and announcements from some of the federal agencies and offices affected by the shutdown:
- Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- Department of Defense
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health Extramural Grantees
- National Science Foundation
- Office for Human Research Protections
- Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare
- Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues
Looks Good on Paper: In China, research grants and promotions are awarded based on the number of articles a researcher publishes, rather than on the quality of the original research. This incentive structure fosters a culture of misconduct, which has become a $150 million industry in itself. Investigations have unveiled fabricated research results, counterfeit scientific journals, and ghostwritten articles.
