Misconduct
The case summary is about Dr. Malhotra and her research misconduct. According to the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), she engaged in misconduct knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly fabricating information in her thesis and four published papers. ORI found that Dr. Malhotra falsified Western blot data for protein expression in cultured cell lines and alveolar macrophages of COPD patients by modifying Western blot photos to hide their source (The Office of Research Integrity, 2019). For example, she trimmed the negative DNA gel images and took ownership. In addition, due to the lack of original image data, the information used in the plots, statistical analysis, and other research areas is unreliable. Therefore, as a respondent, Dr. Malhotra’s actions are considered misconduct in the field of research.
Results of the Case
The case revealed that Dr. Malhotra has been engaging in research misconduct. She was found guilty of fabricating information to fit her research which was against the rules and regulations guiding research. According to Hofmann and Holm (2019), research misconduct happens when a researcher misrepresents information in a study report. A report by ORI has shown that there were instances of falsification of important data in most of Dr. Malhotra’s publications, including her Ph.D. thesis. As a result, the results from the case have confirmed that Dr. Malhotra was engaging in research malpractice.
Ethical Ramifications
There are various ethical consequences for the subject of the case. As a direct result, she will voluntarily exclude herself from consideration for any contracting opportunities with any department or agency of the US Government. Dr. Malhotra is not supposed to participate in or be eligible for the government’s non-procurement programs (The Office of Research Integrity, 2019). She has to voluntarily remove herself from consideration for any advisory role with the public health service (PHS), to offer service in any advisory and peer review committee. Therefore, this case impacts her personal and professional development, especially in research.
Apart from the subject of the case, there are ethical consequences for scientific knowledge. One of the ramifications is the entire research being marked as invalid and unreliable because a researcher has broken the ethical rules of the research community (The Office of Research Integrity, 2019). At the most basic level, misconduct can stop or hurt one’s research or the research of others. In most cases, scientific knowledge in research is rated based on its integrity and accuracy. As a result, the behavior will shake the public’s faith in the reliability of science.
Manipulation in Research
In my view, manipulation occurred in the case of Dr. Malhotra, as demonstrated by the ORI. Due to the nature of the research, she was expected to use actual quantitative data from the public to inform the findings. However, the respondent decided to fabricate and falsify data to fit the expected outcome. She trimmed and manipulated Western blot images to masquerade their origin. She reversed the negative DNA gel images of the PCR product and reused them to embody Western blot information for discrete tests.
References
Hofmann, B., & Holm, S. (2019). Research integrity: environment, experience, or ethos?Research Ethics, 15(3-4), 1-13. Web.
The Office of Research Integrity. (2019). Case Summary: Malhotra, Deepti. Web.