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Unethical authorship practices: A qualitative study in Malaysian higher education institutions

Olesen A, Amin L, Mahadi Z

Dev World Bioeth, 2018 09;18(3):271-278.
PMID: 30048029 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12200

INTRODUCTION: To explore academia perceptions and experience with unethical authorship practices in their respective institutions.
METHOD: 21 in-depth interviews were carried out.
RESULTS: Our analysis revealed variability in experiences with various types of unethical authorship practices among the interviewees. Second, we found that unethical authorship practices are not so unusual among academia although the exact numbers of incidents are unknown due to the fact that such practices are seldom reported. Third, our interviewees revealed that the culture of 'publish or perish' could be the main contributor to unethical practices of authorship because publication records are the main criteria for researcher's career evaluation besides, others, which are set by the university.
CONCLUSION: It was suggested that the institution must play a proactive role in educating and promoting awareness on authorship guidelines, through education and training, ethical leadership as well as promoting the importance of publication ethics.
Exploring the organisational context of research misconduct in higher learning institutions in Malaysia

Olesen AP, Amin L, Mahadi Z, Ibrahim M

Dev World Bioeth, 2020 Nov 10.
PMID: 33170560 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12298

Due to the financial pressure caused by cutbacks in funding and the race to achieve higher university rankings, researchers are competing for limited funds. These funds enable researchers to contribute to the scientific enterprise and to secure better positions. Given this pressure, there is a need to understand how academic organisations can influence academic integrity. This study uses a qualitative methodology and incudes in-depth interviews with 22 voluntary participants from various Malaysian public and private universities and with different research backgrounds and experience. The findings suggest that mentorship, the pressure to perform, the research environment and research policies related to misconduct can contribute to research misconduct. According to the participants, reward systems that are heavily dependent on publication records can result in a research environment that is not conducive to research ethics, and which creates self-centred individualistic researchers rather than team players. This can lead to bad mentorship where researchers are more concerned with their own performance and do not prioritise their teaching and supervising of junior researchers. The endorsement of well-written research policies may have little significant value for research misconduct without enforcement and awareness of the importance of research integrity. This paper is an attempt to encourage university management to promote research integrity among individuals who are directly or indirectly involved in the research process by taking action against those involved in misconduct. It also suggests rewarding researchers based on their overall performance rather than solely on their publication record.
Ethical considerations in clinical trials: a critique of the ICH-GCP guideline

Kaur S, Choy CY

Dev World Bioeth, 2014 Apr;14(1):20-8.
PMID: 23170779 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12004

This article examines issues relating to ethics decision-making in clinical trials. The overriding concern is to ensure that the well being and the interests of human subjects are adequately safeguarded. In this respect, this article will embark on a critical analysis of the ICH-GCP Guideline. The purpose of such an undertaking is to highlight areas of concern and the shortcomings of the existing ICH-GCP Guideline. Particular emphasis is made on how ethics committees perform their duties and responsibilities in line with the principles outlined in the ICH-GCP Guideline. This article will draw attention to the need for a new approach to addressing the weaknesses of the ICH-GCP Guideline in its present form.
Ethical challenges of conducting and reviewing human genomics research in Malaysia: An exploratory study

Zee TW, Abdul Aziz MFB, Wei PC

Dev World Bioeth, 2023 Nov 23.
PMID: 37997006 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12435

Even though there is a significant amount of scholarly work examining the ethical issues surrounding human genomics research, little is known about its footing in Malaysia. This study aims to explore the experience of local researchers and research ethics committee (REC) members in developing it in Malaysia. In-depth interviews were conducted from April to May 2021, and the data were thematically analysed. In advancing this technology, both genomics researchers and REC members have concerns over how this research is being developed in the country especially the absence of a clear ethical and regulatory framework at the national level as a guidance. However, this study argues that it is not a salient issue as there are international guidelines in existence and both researchers and RECs will benefit from a training on the guidelines to ensure genomics research can be developed in an ethical manner.
Defining Malaysia's health research ethics system through a stakeholder driven approach

Tackett S, Ng CJ, Sugarman J, Daniel EGS, Gopalan N, Tivyashinee T, et al.

Dev World Bioeth, 2024 Jun;24(2):74-83.
PMID: 36861660 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12396

The need to understand the systems that support ethical health research has long been recognized, but there are limited descriptions of actual health research ethics (HRE) systems. Using participatory network mapping methods, we empirically defined Malaysia's HRE system. 13 Malaysian stakeholders identified 4 overarching and 25 specific HRE system functions and 35 actors internal and 3 external to the Malaysian HRE system responsible for those functions. Functions requiring the most attention were: advising on legislation related to HRE; optimizing research value to society; and defining standards for HRE oversight. Internal actors with the greatest potential for more influence were: the national network of research ethics committees; non-institution-based research ethics committees; and research participants. The World Health Organization, an external actor, had the largest untapped potential for influence overall. In summary, this stakeholder-driven process identified HRE system functions and actors that could be targeted to increase HRE system capacity.
Cultural considerations in forgoing enteral feeding: A comparison between the Hong Kong Chinese, North American, and Malaysian Islamic patients with advanced dementia at the end-of-life

Ngan OMY, Bergstresser SM, Sanip S, Emdadul Haque ATM, Chan HYL, Au DKS

Dev World Bioeth, 2020 06;20(2):105-114.
PMID: 31241234 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12239

Cultural competence, a clinical skill to recognise patients' cultural and religious beliefs, is an integral element in patient-centred medical practice. In the area of death and dying, physicians' understanding of patients' and families' values is essential for the delivery of culturally appropriate care. Dementia is a neurodegenerative condition marked by the decline of cognitive functions. When the condition progresses and deteriorates, patients with advanced dementia often have eating and swallowing problems and are at high risk of developing malnutrition. Enteral tube feeding is a conventional means of providing artificial nutrition and hydration to meet nutritional needs, but its benefits to the frail population are limitedly shown in the clinical evidence. Forgoing tube feeding is ethically challenging when patients are mentally incompetent and in the absence of an advance directive. Unlike some developed countries, like the United States of America, death and dying is a sensitive issue or even a taboo in some cultures in developing countries that forgoing enteral tube feeding is clinically and ethically challenging, such as China and Malaysia. This article in three parts 1) discusses the clinical and ethical issues related to forgoing tube feeding among patients with advanced dementia, 2) describes how Hong Kong Chinese, North American, and Malaysian Islamic cultures respond differently in the decision-making patterns of forgoing tube feeding for patients with advanced dementia, and 3) reiterates the clinical implications of cultural competence in end-of-life care.
Bioethics in the Malay-Muslim Community in Malaysia: A Study on the Formulation of Fatwa on Genetically Modified Food by the National Fatwa Council

Isa NM, Baharuddin A, Man S, Chang LW

Dev World Bioeth, 2015 Dec;15(3):143-51.
PMID: 24750562 DOI: 10.1111/dewb.12057

The field of bioethics aims to ensure that modern scientific and technological advancements have been primarily developed for the benefits of humankind. This field is deeply rooted in the traditions of Western moral philosophy and socio-political theory. With respect to the view that the practice of bioethics in certain community should incorporate religious and cultural elements, this paper attempts to expound bioethical tradition of the Malay-Muslim community in Malaysia, with shedding light on the mechanism used by the National Fatwa Council to evaluate whether an application of biological sciences is ethical or not. By using the application of the genetically modified food as a case study, this study has found that the council had reviewed the basic guidelines in the main references of shari'ah in order to make decision on the permissibility of the application. The fatwa is made after having consultation with the experts in science field. The council has taken all factors into consideration and given priority to the general aim of shari'ah which to serve the interests of mankind and to save them from harm.