Flexible
Standards of Honesty, Ethics and Fraud Exist.
Fraud Encourages Fraud. Fraud begets fraud; and then some.
It is just a matter
of time. The erosion of integrity and
authenticity must eventually destroy the moral basis for ethical management and
burst the bubble of dishonesty.
The
latest revelations that Singapore’s premier Nanyang Technological
University (NTU) has revoked the 2013 PhD degree of a former Agency for
Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) scientist, one Ms Sabeera Bonala,
after she admitted that she had falsified data in her research and doctoral
thesis.
This
is the latest fallout in one
of the biggest cases of scientific fraud in Singapore, which first came to
light in July 2016. Six research papers were retracted then,
including three that had listed Ms Bonala as the first author. Two other
researchers have left their posts and another one had his PhD revoked in the
earlier episode.
The
trio involved in the 2016 scandal are Professor Ravi Kambadur, who was
with NTU; Dr Mridula Sharma, who was associate professor at the National
University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; and former NTU
researcher Sudarsanareddy Lokireddy, who had his PhD from NTU.
Dr Sharma is no
longer at NUS and Dr Lokireddy’s PhD from NTU has also been revoked. NTU
investigations in December 2015 led to 3 papers on Myostatin, a muscular growth
protein, published in 2011 and 2012 being retracted. Another paper was
withdrawn before publication and the other 2 papers were corrected. Three more
papers published from 2012 to 2014, based on research funded by A*Star and the National Research Foundation (NRF),
were also retracted from the prestigious Molecular Endocrinology and Biological
Chemistry journals.
NTU
has earlier in June 2016, following an unrelated investigation into allegations
of research malpractice, retracted 11 academic papers authored by researchers
from the National Institute of Education (NIE). Dr Noel Chia who joined NTU in
2006, promoted to Associate Professor in 2014, is the lead author of 8 papers
and co-author of the other 3 papers. He was a well-known local expert in the
area of special-education needs such as autism, dyslexia and dyscalculia. Of
the 11 papers that came under investigation, 9 were published in the
prestigious Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals
(JAASEP).
I am sadden by these
revelations but not surprised. I have expected these research frauds to surface
much earlier. As an NTU Associate
Professor, I have been told some of most unbelievable research malpractice, and
often similar things from more than one person! Here are just a few, albeit
unverified:
1) The known record
is nearly 40+ research papers claimed by a single staff (with various
co-authors) in a single year. One Professor actually claims to have more than
1,000 publications over 15+ years, but whose expertise has remained relatively
unknown!
2) It is “common” to
have more than 10+ research papers per year claimed by a single staff (with
various co-authors).
3) Many research
papers claimed by a single staff (listed among first 3 authors) are in
technical areas not within the staff’s known expertise, training or technical
competence.
4) A paper where
authorship claimed was 15th among a longer list of authors.
5) Cases of papers
submitted under different titles, but with similar contents.
6) Cases of papers
submitted under the same title to different journals.
7) Papers translated
from their original non-English, foreign language, and claimed as one’s paper
and submitted to a English-medium refereed journal.
8) …. And then some.
A Google
Scholar search for the publications of senior Professors will return a
lisiting of their publications and citations.
The prevalent NTU
research practice of questionable ethics involves situations of "gratuitous"
or "gift" authorship, where co-authors are added either
by themselves or by their subordinates and where they were not involved in the
research in any significant manner. Supervisors
generally expect junior Professors to include them as “co-authors” as a matter
of normative practice. The latter sees evidence that those who did so would often get compensated
and promotions for their generosity in gratitude.
The
Fraud Culture IS the New Normal
Especially
noteworthy is the fact that the above affected Professors and staff joined the
NTU and NUS at a time when the Universities have fully embraced the bogus and
fraudulent World
University Rankings standards.
The timing is not coincidental.
By
2010, any seriousness in research vigorousness has been abandoned. Research integrity suffers as NUS and NTU
blindly embraced THE [Times Higher Education] and QS Rankers, without demanding
to examine the scientific basis of their “methodology”; especially the
criterion factors selected as measures of “best” Universities, nor the
population and samples of the respondents who participated in surveys
purportedly conducted and whose “data” were used to compile the final annual league
table rankings.
Finally by 2014, NTU was ranked as the Top Youngest University in the
World by QS Ranker, from 77th in 2008, and ranking just 39th
Worldwide.
The
new guiding principle for integrity is "the end justifies the mean”. Authenticity has become immaterial and
irrelevant as they buy into what the United
Nations, UK
and European
Governments, as well as eminent Professors
of Higher Education have already condemned as a bogus standard of
questionable excellence.
Given the dodgy
nature of World University Rankings and their questionable deliberate
fabrication of unreliably unscientific methodologies, NTU victories to their
top ranks are in essence as pyrrhic as winning a beauty contest; the mere
appearance of uncertain meaningless quality.
By flaunting
the bogus World University Rankings as its fake brand of questionable
quality, both NTU and NUS have flouted its blatant disregard for research
integrity and ethical authenticity.
Whither the basis of their moral authority to discipline their Professors and staff for their disdain and defiance of academic honesty and research integrity and ethics?
Whither the basis of their moral authority to discipline their Professors and staff for their disdain and defiance of academic honesty and research integrity and ethics?
Where is NUS/NTU “zero
tolerance” towards the research malpractice of the World University Rankings
standards? By embracing and adopting it?
And indeed, whither
NRF’s claim to “high expectations” with regard to research funding as it
disburses millions of public funds to Universities who embrace and support
fraudulent and bogus quality brands that have no integrity and authenticity?
End the Culture of Fraud in Singapore Universities, now!
Integrity lights our Path to Excellence.
Do it Right and Do it Best!
.
14 comments:
Not surprise. A lot of fake PHDs out there.
More fake angmos than PHDs.
Alamak, very jialat as my kids graduated from NUS. Lucky they got jobs already so now the next job will be more on the reference with the existing companies that they joined and not which university they graduated from. If not very jialat.
Me Thinks JUST TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
Many more to come and be revelved.
SMRT Engineers, SGH, KTP or Put Too Phat Hospitals? ??
See even sponsored PHD Undergrad poisoned own Mates or should be fellow students or colleagues
just to get ahead.
Ministers, MPs also from Talented First World Countries ??
Singapore now considered Third World with these laughable happenings to let the World have some laughters.
Mwdiacocks should have the Programme Just For Laughs Singapore Humour.
The biggest fake of the country is the Fake President.
hahaha....
fake fake fake everywhere
everything is fake
everyone is fake
it is how fake you are
you don't know meh
this is the new normal
Singapore Researchers are pushed to be Test-Tube cleaners.
Philip Yeo infamous insults.
Get so many Fake Researchers with sky high salaries plus benefits of housing etc and after a few years lay no eggs but Shits and said bye bye.
My daughter spent eight years under an Indian FT researching what's genome and what's crayfish gene sequencing and what's diabetes stem cells.
As Pioneer A☆ Stars Groups.
No Pioneer Cards benefits.
Had to leave as unnecessary pressure and cut off funds.
Better research chicken feeds and Shits.
Now with a Pharmaceutical Company earning much much more than Whats A*Stars Stars.
PRCs and Nehs Nehs just like the SMRT Maintenance Pump Engineers.
Sleep on the jobs.
This Phillip Yeo as Blue Eye Boy of LKY now met his Destiny or Karma in Obscure Oblivion as a Nobody Today.
Hey days wah so high and mighty.
Once you made the wrong policies and have your cronies in high office, the Disasters are irreversible.
Sinkieland also now Irreversible to go Kaput.
Last time, China Men came and learn from HDB how to construct similar Lego Flats.
Now they bidding overseas projects of HSRs.
Sinkieland from 1st to 3rd World.
Rest of regions MOT overtakes you.
SINKIEs still thinking very Rosy.
Ex-Soros Trader Sued For Viciously Abusing Women In "Manhattan Sex Dungeon"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-03/former-soros-fund-manager-sued-viciously-abusing-women
“If I can get another 10 billionaires to move to Singapore and set up their base here… I think Singapore will be better off because they will bring business, they will bring opportunities” - Lee Hsien Loong
http://www.askmelah.com/infamous-quotes-sg-leaders/
"O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!"
This is neo colonialism at work. They told the daft that they have to invite the foreigners in as their masters, and pay them handsomely. Then they would 'knight' them and say they are good boys.
The whole world may laugh at the stupidity of it all. But as long as the daft citizens believe in this treachery, it is fine, money well spent. Yes masters, how much do you want?
This neo colonialism extends to inviting the third world fake talents to be the masters in all fields and the daft citizens turning into obedient and unthinking subjects. When the masters fired them, the other daft will say they are no good, but never mind, the daft elite will conjure training schemes so that they can go to third world countries to take over the jobs the third world fakes left behind to come here to take their jobs.
Stupidity has no cure.
I wonder if the great thinker Mahbubani has anything to add on this matter. He used to say Asians cannot think, or is it Singaporeans cannot think? Please help them to think.
Mahbubani or Mabok-bani?
This is a piece of excellent work.
When encountering at Retraction Watch, it was kinda eyeball icecream: oh, ntu nus s frauds. Guess could be for ranking scheming. All of sudden, came to realize how come fraud is no long a so sinful word on sinkieland?
From the author s depth, the insight was shocking plus the related comments: a real "fraud" to keep someone s jobs at the helm.
The scheming is to hire foreigners to use the big "research funding" to wayang to the public, how good is this place in RE Search. The angmor would rank sinkieland as most creative by the funding size and hiring foreigners. Remember the fruitless re search by John Hopping hospeetor. A lots of money and sound, "nothing" was the real ending.
This one: alot of papers published by the foolished ang mor journals thinking they got real stuff from asian number one re search center.
By the time the balloon is poked by the genuine scientists whose journals and publications are stained with shits, the scheme designers are oredi retired or at retiring. Millions of dollars ran into their pockets as salaries.
Voters are the real sickening daft. When can they wise up against old fart s curse?
The ONLY objective motivating using a fake bogus brand is to fool and deceive unsuspecting students and their parents or influencers.
Those who knowingly embrace a bogus and fake "quality" brand have no moral authority to manage and enforce research integrity and authenticity among their Professors and staff.
Post a Comment