The article emphasizes the importance of prevention in addressing plagiarism and other forms of misconduct in research. It argues that while institutions have started to implement courses on responsible conduct of research, these efforts primarily benefit students and do not adequately address the needs of seasoned researchers. The article suggests that research integrity should be integrated into continuing education for experienced researchers. It also highlights that training on responsible conduct should focus on ethical writing principles, which can indirectly reduce plagiarism and other forms of misconduct. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to enhance detection and punishment of intentional misconduct, as complete elimination is unlikely.
The second part of the article discusses the use and abuse of funnel plots in evidence-based medicine. It argues that while funnel plots are widely used to detect publication bias in meta-analyses, their effectiveness is often overstated. The article critiques the technical feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of funnel plots, noting that they can be influenced by various factors such as the choice of outcome coding, metrics, and weights. It also points out that funnel plots may not accurately reflect publication bias due to between-study heterogeneity and other sources of variation. The article concludes that evidence-based methods, including funnel plots, should be used with caution and that prevention of publication bias is more desirable than diagnostic or corrective analysis.The article emphasizes the importance of prevention in addressing plagiarism and other forms of misconduct in research. It argues that while institutions have started to implement courses on responsible conduct of research, these efforts primarily benefit students and do not adequately address the needs of seasoned researchers. The article suggests that research integrity should be integrated into continuing education for experienced researchers. It also highlights that training on responsible conduct should focus on ethical writing principles, which can indirectly reduce plagiarism and other forms of misconduct. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to enhance detection and punishment of intentional misconduct, as complete elimination is unlikely.
The second part of the article discusses the use and abuse of funnel plots in evidence-based medicine. It argues that while funnel plots are widely used to detect publication bias in meta-analyses, their effectiveness is often overstated. The article critiques the technical feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of funnel plots, noting that they can be influenced by various factors such as the choice of outcome coding, metrics, and weights. It also points out that funnel plots may not accurately reflect publication bias due to between-study heterogeneity and other sources of variation. The article concludes that evidence-based methods, including funnel plots, should be used with caution and that prevention of publication bias is more desirable than diagnostic or corrective analysis.