Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures of the Republic of Lithuania
Curriculum Vitae Ombudsperson agendaThe Office of the Ombudsperson for Academic Ethics and Procedures (Office) presents the results of the survey “Responsible Research Barometer 2020” on the experience and situations of researchers working in Lithuanian research and higher education institutions in the field of research and publication ethics. The aim of the survey was to overview the current practice of conducting research and publishing its results in Lithuanian universities, colleges, and research institutes in terms of academic ethics.
The survey involved 384 respondents, doctoral students, and researchers (lecturers, researchers and other researchers working in the institutions). It analysed how much attention the Lithuanian academic community pays to education about research and publishing ethics, how the academic community’s ethical sensitivity manifests itself, what violations of research and publishing ethics are observed in the academic environment and how they are addressed.
The Office’s survey questionnaire has been adapted according to the questionnaire of the periodic survey “Finnish Research Integrity Barometer” conducted by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK), and to the context of Lithuanian science system.
According to respondents, in the last three years, researchers in the academic community of their institution (among scientists, researchers and doctoral students) have never encountered or very rarely encountered cases of research and publication ethics (e.g. such research and publication violations as data fabrication and suppression of data are rarely observed or never observed). It is also worrying that more than one in three respondents has never deepened their knowledge of research and publishing ethics in the last three years. More than two-thirds of respondents sought information on the topic on their own.
These survey findings raise doubts about respondents’ critical reflections on research and publishing ethics, as well as concerns about the insufficient efforts of research and higher education institutions to implement provisions that promote academic ethics.
Please read the study report in more detail.