Scientific integrity: difficult or easy?

It is necessary to ensure benefits for scientists so that they do not have to trade honesty and integrity for a living.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc, the sharp increase in the number of scientific publications in prestigious international journals over the past 10 years has raised many issues of concern, including the issue of integrity in scientific research.

Integrity violations are increasingly sophisticated.

Identifying acts of integrity violation, Associate Professor Dr. Truong Viet Anh, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, pointed out that plagiarism is one of the five common acts. Whether developed or developing countries, countries that publish few or many works, all have a certain rate of plagiarism.

There is also the act of putting the name of a person who did not participate in the research as the author or co-author of the work. Next are the acts of working for hire, doing scientific work for others; using the research work of the whole group for personal purposes without consent; fabricating and using fake data.

Associate Professor Truong Viet Anh said the reasons for the violations could be due to pressure on the number of published personal works, because publishing will create opportunities for promotion, due to commitments when receiving funding sources or economic burdens for the family.

Dr. Duong Tu, Purdue University (USA), recognized that forms of integrity violations are becoming more and more complex and sophisticated, especially plagiarism and data editing. These are classic forms that have been going on for decades, but the development of technology and artificial intelligence has given birth to many new ways of cheating. There are networks and systems that are interconnected, from authors, reviewers to editors and editors-in-chief of journals.

A university professor in Ho Chi Minh City said that even in developed countries, at prestigious universities, there are still great scientists who violate scientific ethics. However, the rate of violations in Vietnam is quite large and complicated.

According to this professor, for scientists, honesty is the first factor that must be present. Only honesty can help scientists be wise enough to create science, and can approach the truth. However, in specific conditions, in specific environments, there are still mistakes, especially when there is demand, there is supply.

From another perspective, experts assess that current investment in scientific research is still low. Dr. Dinh Minh Hang, Head of the Foreign Affairs Administration Department - Hanoi National University of Education, said that the school has 636 lecturers, including 424 PhDs and 128 professors and associate professors.

However, the funding for scientific research is only about 6 - 8 billion VND/year; on average, each lecturer is invested 10 - 15 million VND/person/year. Besides, the form of investment is still fragmented and small.

Students doing scientific research at Nguyen Tat Thanh University (HCMC) Photo: TAN THANH

The problem lies in the mechanism?

To build a clean and honest science, according to Dr. Duong Tu, there needs to be a policy to guarantee the benefits of scientists so that they can live a decent life, work with peace of mind, and not have to trade honesty and integrity for food and clothing, or worry about daily life.

Researchers must feel joy and happiness when society sponsors their research to serve the community. Instead of chasing quantity, scientists focus on the quality of research, returning to the nature of science which is knowledge creation and knowledge discovery.

Professor Phung Ho Hai, Vietnam Institute of Mathematics, believes that it is necessary to build a system so that scientists do not need to lie, do not want to lie, do not dare to lie, and cannot lie. "The root must be 'no need to lie', that is, to have enough to eat and enough to live. If scientists do not have enough to live, they have nothing to lose, then they will think that lying is okay!" - Professor Phung Ho Hai analyzed.

According to Professor Nguyen Xuan Hung, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education and Training need to soon have a common, clear set of rules on integrity. From this set of rules, schools will refer to build their own set of rules as well as specific monitoring, post-inspection and sanction procedures.

Sharing the same view, Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said that it is necessary to have a comprehensive regulatory framework on academic integrity from the perspective of state management and this will be the foundation.

Professor Phung Ho Hai said that in the issue of integrity, "we cannot talk about ethics but must talk about law". According to him, the law mentioned here must be at the institutional and mechanism level because the current phenomenon of integrity violations is created by circumstances and mechanisms.

"People don't naturally become depraved. The mechanism creates it. Decades ago, there were no violations of scientific integrity like what is happening now. Therefore, the most important issue is to correct the mechanism" - Professor Phung Ho Hai expressed his opinion.

A university professor in Ho Chi Minh City said that the story of scientific integrity often comes up when considering the recognition of the titles of professor and associate professor. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training needs to reconsider the current process of recognizing and appointing professors and associate professors.

"In university autonomy, should the appointment of associate professors and professors be assigned to training institutions because the title is associated with a teacher at the university, recognized by law. The title must also be linked to the strategy and orientation for professional and scientific development of the school. From there, scientific integrity is linked to the reputation of the school" - this professor proposed.

Mr. TRAN HONG THAI, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology:

Open and transparent resolution

Integrity in scientific research is an important requirement. If integrity is violated to commit unethical or even illegal acts, it must be dealt with. However, the story of integrity violations affects scientists and teachers - a very sensitive group of intellectuals, so when there is no clear evidence, specific names are not mentioned to avoid affecting individuals and groups.

In cases of violations, any issues related to the law will be handled according to the law, and any issues related to ethics will be handled according to regulations. The law cannot be used to handle issues related to ethics. The nature of the law is based on a cultural foundation. In cases where the issue is pressing and difficult to manage, state agencies will use different measures to resolve it.

It is time for the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education and Training to step in to address the issue of integrity in research and publication. Thereby, gradually creating a healthy environment for science - technology, education and teaching, limiting negative feedback from all sides.

However, we need to deal with scientific integrity in a civilized manner because we are dealing with a team that needs to be respected. The issue of integrity needs to be resolved, but it must also be done in an open, transparent, and democratic manner.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tai Dong , Director of the Institute of Philosophy:
Avoid using integrity to denounce teachers

We have had many regulations reflected in laws, decrees or regulations of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education and Training and of many schools and magazines. The only thing is, we do not have a comprehensive regulation so now we need a common legal framework.

Among the professions, research and education are the ones that require the highest level of integrity. Research and education pursue knowledge, wisdom and truth. Truth itself is a value, and if it is not protected, there is no science.

It is necessary to avoid the situation of denouncing scientists in the name of protecting integrity, turning the work of implementing integrity into an opportunity to criticize teachers and scientists - who are the poorest, most shameless and most honest people.

Y.Anh - X.Hoa recorded

Source: https://nld.com.vn/liem-chinh-khoa-hoc-kho-hay-de-196231223212454086.htm