Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice
Abstract Bounded ethicality refers to people’s limited capacity to consistently behave in line with their ethical standards. Here, we present results from a pre-registered, large-scale (N = 11,050) survey of researchers in Sweden, suggesting that researchers too are boundedly ethical. Specifically,...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53450-0 |
| _version_ | 1797274949436571648 |
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| author | Amanda M. Lindkvist Lina Koppel Gustav Tinghög |
| author_facet | Amanda M. Lindkvist Lina Koppel Gustav Tinghög |
| author_sort | Amanda M. Lindkvist |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Bounded ethicality refers to people’s limited capacity to consistently behave in line with their ethical standards. Here, we present results from a pre-registered, large-scale (N = 11,050) survey of researchers in Sweden, suggesting that researchers too are boundedly ethical. Specifically, researchers on average rated themselves as better than other researchers in their field at following good research practice, and rated researchers in their own field as better than researchers in other fields at following good research practice. These effects were stable across all academic fields, but strongest among researchers in the medical sciences. Taken together, our findings illustrate inflated self-righteous beliefs among researchers and research disciplines when it comes to research ethics, which may contribute to academic polarization and moral blindspots regarding one’s own and one’s colleagues’ use of questionable research practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:06:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a528e3902d3d4ecda0bfca262fa84567 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:06:25Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-a528e3902d3d4ecda0bfca262fa845672024-03-05T18:53:52ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-02-011411810.1038/s41598-024-53450-0Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practiceAmanda M. Lindkvist0Lina Koppel1Gustav Tinghög2Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Economics, Linköping UniversityDepartment of Management and Engineering, Division of Economics, Linköping UniversityDepartment of Management and Engineering, Division of Economics, Linköping UniversityAbstract Bounded ethicality refers to people’s limited capacity to consistently behave in line with their ethical standards. Here, we present results from a pre-registered, large-scale (N = 11,050) survey of researchers in Sweden, suggesting that researchers too are boundedly ethical. Specifically, researchers on average rated themselves as better than other researchers in their field at following good research practice, and rated researchers in their own field as better than researchers in other fields at following good research practice. These effects were stable across all academic fields, but strongest among researchers in the medical sciences. Taken together, our findings illustrate inflated self-righteous beliefs among researchers and research disciplines when it comes to research ethics, which may contribute to academic polarization and moral blindspots regarding one’s own and one’s colleagues’ use of questionable research practices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53450-0 |
| spellingShingle | Amanda M. Lindkvist Lina Koppel Gustav Tinghög Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice Scientific Reports |
| title | Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice |
| title_full | Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice |
| title_fullStr | Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice |
| title_short | Bounded research ethicality: researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice |
| title_sort | bounded research ethicality researchers rate themselves and their field as better than others at following good research practice |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53450-0 |
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