Research misconduct committed by senior academics should be investigated by independent experts because conflicts of interest make it impossible for universities to review complaints against their own staff, a leading integrity expert has argued.
Elisabeth Bik said the scandal involving Stanford University’s former president Marc Tessier-Lavigne had reinforced her belief that universities should commission external investigations when senior staff face allegations of research malpractice.
The Canadian neuroscientist resigned in 2023 after a student newspaper investigation uncovered numerous research integrity breaches. A subsequent university investigation concluded his work “fell below customary standards of scientific rigour and process” but did not constitute fraud, although it was later revealed many witnesses were not allowed to testify to the investigatory panel because of non-disclosure agreements.
“It’s not always good to have institutions investigate issues themselves,” Bik said in a talk organised by the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) on 3 June.
“If it’s a graduate student or postdoc, institutions should investigate themselves but if someone is higher up – a professor or senior university manager, then the work should be done by someone on the outside,” said Bik, referencing the Stanford episode in which she helped to identify altered images in work co-authored by Tessier-Lavigne.
