Conceptualising fraudulent studies as infectious viruses

A new model for handling retractions in the scientific knowledge base

Groups related to this event

Centre for Health Informatics
Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research
Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science

Event date

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

This paper addresses the growing problem of retractions in the scientific literature of publications that contain bad data (i.e., fabricated, falsified, or containing error), also called "false science." While the problem is particularly acute in the biomedical literature because of the life-threatening implications when treatment recommendations and decisions are based on false science, it is relevant for any knowledge domain, including organizational studies and management. Yet current practices for handling retractions are seen as inadequate. We liken such studies to a virus that spreads and contaminates the knowledge system, when they continue to be treated as valid. We suggest drawing from public health models designed to prevent the spread of biological viruses and compare the strengths and weaknesses of the current governance model of professional self-regulation with a proposed public health governance model. We conclude by considering the value of adding a triple-helix model that brings industry into the university-state governance mechanisms and incorporates bibliometric capabilities needed for a holistic treatment of the retraction process.

Speaker profile

Kathleen Montgomery is Professor of the Graduate Division at the University of California, Riverside, and Emerita Professor of Organizations and Management in UCR's School of Business Administration. She was awarded the University of California's Edward A. Dickson Emerita Professorship in 2014. Kathleen has been a visiting scholar at Oxford University, Stanford, and UCLA, and is a long-time Honorary Associate of the Centre for Values, Ethics, and the Law in Medicine at the University of Sydney. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from New York University, where she began her research on the medical profession and relationships between professionals and their environment. Her current research continues this stream, now focusing on issues of trust, integrity, and behavioral norms, especially during encounters between patients, their doctors, and the health care delivery system. She has served as Chair of the Health Care Management Division of the Academy of Management, and in 2011 she received the Division’s Exceptional Service Award, in recognition of a career of contributions to the profession in research, professional leadership, and mentoring.

Date: 24 November 2015

Time: 12 noon – 1pm

Venue: Seminar Room Level 1, 75 Talavera Road, Macquarie University

Chairperson: Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite

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