CRS Research Integrity & Scientific Misconduct 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the acronym FFP represent in the context of research misconduct?
- Funding, Fabrication, and Publication
- Fabrication, Falsification, and Plagiarism (Correct answer)
- Fraud, Falsification, and Prevention
- Fabrication, Fraud, and Publication
Correct answer: Fabrication, Falsification, and Plagiarism
FFP stands for Fabrication, Falsification, and Plagiarism — the three categories of research misconduct defined by US federal policy (42 CFR Part 93).
Question 2: Which US federal office is primarily responsible for overseeing research integrity and investigating misconduct allegations at PHS-funded institutions?
- NIH Office of Extramural Research
- FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Office of Research Integrity (ORI) (Correct answer)
- National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General
Correct answer: Office of Research Integrity (ORI)
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) oversees and directs Public Health Service research integrity activities, including reviewing institutional investigations of misconduct allegations.
Question 3: Which of the following best defines data fabrication in scientific research?
- Selectively reporting only data that supports the hypothesis
- Making up data, results, or findings and recording or reporting them as real (Correct answer)
- Altering statistical outputs after analysis is complete
- Using another researcher's dataset without proper attribution
Correct answer: Making up data, results, or findings and recording or reporting them as real
Data fabrication is the act of inventing or making up data, results, or findings that were never actually observed or collected.
Question 4: Under 42 CFR Part 93, which of the following is explicitly excluded from the definition of research misconduct?
- Falsification of research records
- Fabrication of experimental data
- Honest differences in the interpretation of data (Correct answer)
- Plagiarism of another researcher's published work
Correct answer: Honest differences in the interpretation of data
42 CFR Part 93 explicitly excludes honest error and differences of scientific opinion from the definition of research misconduct.
Question 5: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is federally required for trainees and students receiving support from which agency?
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Correct answer)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Department of Commerce
Correct answer: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH requires RCR training for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students supported by NIH training grants and career development awards.
Question 6: When a researcher first suspects research misconduct by a colleague, what is the appropriate initial step?
- Confront the suspected researcher directly and demand an explanation
- Immediately notify the journal editor where the work was published
- Report the concern to the institution's research integrity officer or ombudsman (Correct answer)
- Post an anonymous notice on a public academic forum
Correct answer: Report the concern to the institution's research integrity officer or ombudsman
Suspected misconduct should be reported to the institution's designated research integrity officer, who is trained to handle such matters confidentially and per federal procedures.
Question 7: A predatory journal is best described as a publication that:
- Charges authors submission fees higher than those of reputable journals
- Exploits the open-access model by charging fees without providing legitimate peer review or editorial services (Correct answer)
- Only publishes studies with positive or statistically significant results
- Requires authors to suggest their own peer reviewers
Correct answer: Exploits the open-access model by charging fees without providing legitimate peer review or editorial services
Predatory journals exploit the open-access fee model by accepting papers and collecting fees without conducting legitimate peer review, editorial oversight, or quality control.
CRS Research Integrity & Scientific Misconduct 1
What does the acronym FFP represent in the context of research misconduct?