Recent efforts to improve openness and transparency in scientific research have led to greater integrity in the way researchers conduct and report their work. However, there are still concerns about the integrity of data collection, particularly when it comes to students.

A joint team of psychology students and researchers from LMU Munich set out to investigate students’ questionable practices and research misconduct during data collection. The team surveyed 473 psychology students and 199 supervisors at German-speaking universities to understand the behaviors and factors influencing students’ engagement in such practices.

The study aimed to determine whether and how students engage in questionable and fraudulent practices when collecting data for their projects. It also sought to identify situational factors that could potentially amplify or alleviate students’ engagement in such behaviors.

The findings revealed that there are significant concerns about the integrity of data collected by students. The survey asked participants about 17 behaviors, ranging from questionable to fraudulent, and the results indicated that there is a need for greater scrutiny and oversight in the data collection process.

Dr. Marlene Altenmüller, corresponding author of the article, highlighted the importance of the research, stating, ‘We wanted to know whether and how students actually engage in questionable and even fraudulent practices when collecting data for their projects. And, we were interested in situational factors potentially amplifying or alleviating students’ engagement in such behaviors.’

The study’s findings underscore the need for measures to ensure the integrity of data collected by students. As data collected by students may be reused by other students, supervisors, and researchers, including in research articles published in journals, it is crucial to address the potential for questionable and fraudulent practices during the data collection process.