Why are corruption and plagiarism rampant in science?
“--only those who are in power can utter the truth and -------the words uttered by the powerful are the truth--”
Though there is no universally accepted definition for corruption and plagiarism in science, the simplest meaning appears to be “grabbing the hard work and ideas of one by some cheater by hook or crook”. Wikipedia describes plagiarism as the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism). In most of the scientific communities, it is anticipated that plagiarists or scientists with false science and performing falsehood with some intention must be punished by suspension/ termination, penalties with barring them from public credibility and integrity. But, is it happening, if not why? At the most, if caught red-handed the published articles are retracted and in most of the cases, retraction is also initiated on a public complaint by editors and rarely by the Institutes or the authors themselves, and by making a simple public apology statement informing withdrawal, cancellation etc. The question’s answer is hidden only in this refute to punish the culprit. The outcome is generation and propagation of more and more fraudsters and defaulters, because by their corruption they achieve the highest posts in the community, they become all powerful to shut up the mouths of their opponents, they become eligible to tell the lie, they can eliminate anyone not only from science but from the society too. I remember one such doyen of science in India, in one meeting I said, “Sir, truth never changes”. He told me, “The truth is that which is spoken while sitting in the higher position”. I remember when another doyen in politics in India questioned me, “where it is written that people like you should tell a truth”. As per his statement, “those who are in power can tell the truth and the words uttered by the powerful are the truth”. I thought at that time that it is in India and other so-called developing countries only. But I was wrong, when I read Fang et al. (2012; Misconduct accounts for the majority of retracted scientific publications, http://www.ask-force.org/web/Peer-Review/Fang-Misconduct-Accounts-Majority-retracted-2012.pdf), Haug (2015, Peer-Review Fraud — Hacking the Scientific Publication Process, http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1512330#t=article), and Budd et al., (2016; An investigation of retracted articles in the biomedical literature, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pra2.2016.14505301055/full), and recently, Beaud’s post on 22nd April 2017 (107 Cancer papers retracted due to peer review fraud, https://science.slashdot.org/story/17/04/22/0016237/107-cancer-papers-retracted-due-to-peer-review-fraud) I realized that it is global disease and spreading in highly organized manner. The question is why it has come and propagated? On searching reasons, I came across several but important ones are:
1. To go ahead or overcome of all those who are working hard through scrupulous means: The normal human tendency but certainly against the progress of the humanity and society. J. Marvin Herndon wrote in 2011 about corruption in science “All too often scientists misrepresent with impunity the state of scientific knowledge and engage in anti-competitive practices, including the blacklisting of other capable, experienced scientists. University and institution administrators, when made aware of such conduct, in my experience, do nothing to correct it, having neither the expertise nor, with tenure, the perception of authority or responsibility. The result is that taxpayers' money is wasted on a grand scale and the science produced is greatly inferior to what it might be.” He further elaborated to what extent the corrupts may go, they blacklist the honest and true innovators, they stop them from publication. "Blacklisted scientists are subject to derision, ignorance, insults, lies, false accusations, personal attacks against them, misrepresentations regarding their research, culture, faith, etc." (https://www.sott.net/article/234225-The-Corruption-of-Science-in-America). So acclaimed peer reviewers are more biased than truthful when matter concerns with innovation (Steven T. Corneliussen, 2014, http://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.5.8057/full/). Jean-François Gariépy, a neuroscientist wrote, “I found scientists to be more preoccupied with their own survival in a very competitive research environment than by the development of a true understanding of the world”. He further wrote, “We have populated the scientific community with what I like to call “chickens with no head,” that is, researchers who can produce multiple scientific articles per year, none of which with any particularly important impact on our understanding of the world” (http://principia-scientific.org/award-winning-neuro-scientist-quits-due-to-rampant-academic-corruption/).
2. Corporate and political interests: Science has been abused since ages by priests, politicians and corporate for different reasons (http://www.i-sis.org.uk/The_Corruption_of_Science.php). How they achieve it has been reviewed by the group of concerned scientists (http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/how-corporations-corrupt-science.pdf).
3. The research funding and funding agencies: The research funding appears to be one of the very important reasons behind the degradation of scientists’ character. If you see the history of retraction of research papers you may perceive that it started in the early 1970s just after two decades of public funding for the research (http://www.ask-force.org/web/Peer-Review/Fang-Misconduct-Accounts-Majority-retracted-2012.pdf). Funding for research means hiring researchers or hiring workers for research. The workers are hardly ever been reported innovators, innovation comes even from an empty stomach and also from the full stomach but workers mostly work to fill their bellies and to satisfy their greed for status. The greedy can never be honest and it may be the reason, the biggest reason behind harvests of fast growing crops of corruption in science. The research funding is based on some of the criteria covered under point one and two above but always with a predefined objective. Though without funds research is not possible today and funding are essential for fast forward action, need is there to revamp the methodology for selection of proposals for the award of grants. The selection should be based on the merits of the proposal rather than merits of the researcher. A double blind independent review without any reference to the referees, proposers, recommendations, and peers.Govt of Kazakhstan has come up with a program, first they identify the project evaluators internationally and then project are sent to them with anonymity and each project to three independent and non-connected reviewers.
4. Lack of uniform punishment policy: In most of the countries the biggest punishment for corrupts is removal from their position. But due to the their say and way in all the upper circles of politics and science, where almost everyone is like them (it is often considered their bad luck being caught in corruption), they get another similar or higher or more powerful positions, most often the positions where they become the research managers (as in India) and then start to eliminate those who were behind their being caught for the fraud, cheating or wrongdoing.
5. The policy of rewarding the cheaters/ traitors in a scientific circle: It is better not to name but many of those reading this article know that how many cheaters and traitors have been rewarded in their vicinity, community, and society and how many honest have died the death of dogs. Those were caught in the act of corruption and were also temporarily charged often use that punishment as their added qualification for research management positions in India. Personally, I know several of them who either done frauds in research or caught for plagiarism are nowadays vice-chancellors and chancellors of universities or are on other research management positions. It is probably due to their ability to manage the corruption or the propagation of corruption.
What is the Way Out? Probably no, till the researchers are valued by their publication in high-impact journals, or till the research will be depending on the funding, or the researchers will be hired by group of cheaters, or by the time we will be recruiting research workers than the scholars, or by the time research remains fancy on public funding or by the time God doesn’t come to the earth to punish the dishonest and cheaters, or by the time we keep on appreciating and praising the achievements and material progress of the traitors, cheaters, and frauds.
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