What do mentoring and training in the responsible conduct of research have to do with scientists' misbehavior? Findings from a National Survey of NIH-funded scientists

In this survey, the authors examine training in the responsible conduct of research and mentoring in relation to behaviors that may compromise the integrity of science. The articles surveyed over three thousand early and mid-career researchers who received research support from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and asked them about their previous ethics training, and unethical behavior they had themselves participated in. The authors concluded that the results of the survey called into question the effectiveness of training in obviating problematic behavior. Mentoring has the potential to influence behavior in ways that both increase and decrease the likelihood of problematic behaviors.