Overview of corruption in academic research

Corruption in academic research has consequences beyond the academic community. When it happens in medical research or in research upon which policy decisions will be based, it can have devastating effects for the whole community. However, even when the research itself might not have an impact outside of the academic community, corruption in academia can undermine core values in society as it breaks the link between merit and hard work and success, and can make favouritism, bribery and fraud more acceptable to obtain results. The academic culture of “publish or perish” has incentivised unethical behaviour as academics have to produce and publish research constantly to advance in their careers. In low income and low-to-middle-income countries (LMIC), a lack of funding and opportunities further exacerbates the problems.