Stanley Maloy and Amy Kullas presented at ASMCUE on “Ethics for STEM Education Researchers. They spoke about research integrity and reproducibility and how they apply in education research. Maloy mentioned a new Academy of Microbiology resource on research ethics that is available for download. Quoting an Egyptian professor, Maloy said “do not lie, cheat, or steal” and how these are standard expectations of anyone doing research. Maloy explained a case of a researcher who manipulated images in fifty published studies! Another case Maloy explained was of a researcher who reviewed material and then used it for their research. Maloy then asked: if you found fraud, who would you report it to at your institution? Kullas spoke about image forensics and how ASM has two image specialists. They use Adobe Photoshop and tools from the Office of Research Integrity to analyze images. Kullas urged careful inspection of proofs and documentation of procedures. Kullas also shared resources for whistleblowers and how contacting the ASM journal for potential cases of misconduct works. Maloy mentioned that in some cases the journal editors reach out to ask questions and help promote ethics. I learned about the procedures and resources ASM has to offer. I also was able to see myself on the screen!
