Research integrity in greater China: Surveying regulations, perceptions and knowledge of research integrity from a hong kong perspective

Developing World Bioethics

Volumn 13, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 125-137

  Jordan, Sara R ^a   Gray, Phillip W ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG   (Hong Kong)

^b TEXAS A AND M UNIVERSITY AT QATAR   (Qatar)

Author keywords

China; Education; Ethics; Hong Kong; Research Integrity; Research Misconduct; Responsible Conduct of Research

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; ATTITUDE TO HEALTH; CHINA; EDUCATION; ETHICS; GOVERNMENT REGULATION; HEALTH PERSONNEL ATTITUDE; HONG KONG; HUMAN; INFORMATION PROCESSING; MEDICAL STUDENT; PERCEPTION; PERSONNEL; RESEARCH ETHICS; RESEARCH INTEGRITY; RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH; SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; STATISTICS;

CHINA; EDUCATION; ETHICS; HONG KONG; RESEARCH INTEGRITY; RESEARCH MISCONDUCT; RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH;

ATTITUDE OF HEALTH PERSONNEL; CHINA; DATA COLLECTION; ETHICS, RESEARCH; GOVERNMENT REGULATION; HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, PRACTICE; HONG KONG; HUMANS; RESEARCH PERSONNEL; SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT; SOCIAL PERCEPTION; SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY; STUDENTS, MEDICAL;

EID: 84887821553     PISSN: 14718731     EISSN: 14718847     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-8847.2012.00337.x     Document Type: Article

References (145)

1. Jain identifies the emerging economies as Brazil, Russia, India and China. S.C. Jain, ed. 2006. Emerging Economies and the Transformation of International Business: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRICs). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
2. Professional misconduct in an academic setting includes research misconduct - fabrication, falsification and plagiarism, questionable research practices - 'massaging' the data to fit preferred hypotheses, but can also include misconduct or questionable conduct in the classroom - racism or sexism in the classroom, and conflicts of interest in non-research faculty activities - failure to disclose conflict of interests in hiring processes.
3. th Anniversary Edition. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.
4. The list of countries participating in efforts to promote academic integrity, for example through the activities of the International Center for Academic Integrity and through the signatories to the 2010 Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, gives a rough guide to the number of nations participating actively in easily identified international efforts. 33 nations are listed participants in these two venues.
5. M. Cho, G. McGee & D. Magnus. Research Conduct: Lessons of the Stem Cell Scandal. Science 2006; 311: 614-615.
6. D. Barboza. 2006. China Says One of Its Scientists Faked Computer Chip Research. NY Times. 14 May: Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/technology/14chip.html?pagewanted=print [Accessed 20 June 2012] .
7. L. Xiguang & X. Lei. Chinese Researchers Debate Rash of Plagiarism Cases. Science 1996; 274: 337
8. J. Wang. Chinese Journals Pledge Crackdown. Science 1999; 283: 1427;
9. Y. Gong. China Science Foundation Takes Action Against 60 Grantees. Science 2005; 309: 1798-1799.
10. D. Cyranoski. Named and Shamed. Nature 2006; 441: 392-393.
11. W. Zeng & D. Resnik. Research Integrity in China: Problems and Prospects. Dev World Bioeth 2010; 10: 169.
12. All instances where Hong Kong is used refer to Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China.
13. K-h. Mok. Education and the Market Place in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Higher Education 1999; 37: 133-158.
14. K-h. Mok. From State Control to Governance: Decentralization and Higher Education in Guangdong, China. Int Rev Educ 2001; 47: 123-149.
15. K-h. Mok. The Cost of Managerialism: The Implications for the 'McDonaldisation' of Higher Education in Hong Kong. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 1999; 21: 117-127.
16. N.J. French, W.F. Massy & K. Young. Research Assessment in Hong Kong. Higher Education 2001; 42: 35-46.
17. J. Qiu. Publish or Perish in China. Nature 2010; 463: 142-143.
18. P. Sikes. Will the Real Author Come Forward? Questions of Ethics, Plagiarism, Theft and Collusion in Academic Research Writing. International Journal of Research and Method in Education 2009; 32: 13-24
19. J-l. Tang. The Continuing Barriers to Research in China. CMAJ. 2010; DOI: 1031503/cmaj.100035, 424.
20. C. Peng. Focus on Quality, Not Just Quantity. Nature 2011; 475: 267.
21. D. Cyranoski. Brawl in Beijing. Nature 2010; 467: 511
22. M.C. Michel. China Fights Fraud with Tough Tactics and Integrity Training. Nature 2010; 463: 877
23. The Lancet. Reforming Research in China The Lancet 2007; 369: 880
24. H. Jia. Frequent Cases Force China to Face Up to Scientific Fraud. Nat Med 2006; 12: 867
25. Q. Wang. Misconduct: China Needs University Ethics Courses Nature 2006; 442: 132
26. U.S. Neill. Misconduct: Chinese Funding Body Unmoved. Nature 2006; 441: 932
27. G. Yidong & H. Xin. Research Ethics. China's Science Ministry Fires a Barrage of Measures at Misconduct. Science 2006; 1728-1729
28. Z. Huang. Misconduct: Exposure is Not like Cultural Revolution. Nature 2006; 441: 932
29. H. Xin. Scandals Shake Chinese Science. Science 2006; 312: 1464-1466
30. Y. Ding. Scientific Misconduct. Beijing U. Issues First Ever Rules. Science 2002; 296: 448
31. J. Wang. Scientific Misconduct: Chinese Journals Pledge Crackdown. Science 1999; 283: 1427
32. M. Sun. Chinese Decry Dishonesty in Scientific Research. Science 1982; 871
33. Given the size discrepancy between the PRC and Hong Kong, it is not entirely surprising to find less literature on this or any other topic in or from Hong Kong. However, correlating size with publication strength is an unwarranted assumption here. We attempted to calculate roughly the volume of published literature in China since January 1, 2000 by performing a PubMed search. We were interested to find articles using the term 'China' in the 'Affiliation' section. Performing this search gave us the number of articles indexed in PubMed that had at least one author with an affiliation to a university in China. The number of articles and reviews at 415415 hits. We also performed this search using 'Hong Kong' in the 'Affiliation' for the same period of time and gathered 33264 hits. When we performed the search with 'China' in the 'Affiliation' with the operator NOT 'Hong Kong' for 'Affiliation' for the same period of time (1 January 2000 to 23 April 2012) we found 396520 hits. Using the number of all China, including Hong Kong hits as the denominator and the number of Hong Kong only affiliated hits as the numerator, we find that Hong Kong affiliated academics published approximately 8.0% of the total articles. Given the estimated population of the PRC at 1.3Billion and Hong Kong at 7.1Million, which puts the population of Hong Kong at.5% of the population of the PRC, it is surprising that universities serving.05% of the population produce 8.0% of the nation's published research.
34. J. Flowerdew & Y. Li. Language Re-use Among Chinese Apprentice Scientists Writing for Publication. Applied Linguistics 2007; 28: 440-465.
35. H. Xin. Retractions Put Spotlight on China's Part-Time Professor System. Science 2009; 323: 1280-1281.
36. To locate articles on research integrity in Chinese (simplified and traditional characters), a research assistant performed a search using Chinese language sources available to us: http://www.cnki.net (Chinese Academic Journal search engine) [Accessed 20 June 2012], http://www.sinori.cn/jsp/index6.jsp [Accessed 20 June 2012] (Chinese website entitled 'Promoting Research Integrity'). The search was conducted using three translations of research integrity: (roughly research ethics), (roughly, research integrity), (roughly research misconduct).
37. In the table presented below, we only list those for which we could relocate to confirm the original source and those with a date of publication or posting available. While our original intent was to show the trends in publication by month, we were unable to find that level of refinement in the listed dates of publication as many journals only pointed to the year and volume/issue of publication.
38. National Institutes of Health. Requirement for Programs on the Responsible Conduct of Research in National research Service Award Institutional Training Programs. NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts 1989; 18(45): 1.
39. National Institutes of Health. Reminder and Update: Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research in National Research Training Grants. NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts 1994 June 17, 1994; 23(23)
40. R. Dalton. NIH Cash Tied to Compulsory Training in Good Behaviour. Nature. 2000; 408: 629
41. Selected publications available in Chinese, but here translated or Anglicized for simplicity for reader, include: Y-o. Chen. The call for a better scientific research system and prevention of misconduct in research. Journal of Chongqing College of Education 2010; 4.
42. W-z. Hong. Looking into the causes of academic corruption. Humanities and Social Sciences Bimonthly, Shantou University Journal 2010; 26
43. F-y. Liang, The Adverse Impacts of Academic Misconduct and How to Prevent It. Journal of Hengyang Normal University 2010; 31
44. Y. Tao & H-j. Gao. On the Causes and Prevention of Misconduct in Scientific Research. Journal of Qiqihar Junior Teachers' College 2010; 2
45. L. Huan. Academic Misconduct by Post-Graduates and the Social Responsibility of Universities. Heihe Journal 2010; 2
46. S-p. Lin. Containment Measures of Academic Misconduct in Academic Journal Societies - Views of Law Journals. Journal of Chongqing University of Arts and Science, 2009; 28
47. X-y. Wang & X-y. Cao. Academic Corruption - A Study of its Causes and Solutions. Pioneering Science and Technology Monthly 2009; 22
48. Y-p. Chang, Y-b. Jiang & J. Yan. Academic Misconduct by Universities: An Analysis of the Sensitivity of Institutional Factors. Chinese Journal of Management 2009; 2
49. D-f. Luu. A Legal Analysis of Scientific Research Misconduct and Setting up of a Prevention System. Science and Technology Information 2007; 23.
50. Selected publications include: X-x. Guan, G-b. Yang, & L-b. Chen. Ethical Considerations in Medical Scientific Research. Chinese Medical Ethics 2010; 4.
51. L-q. Yang. Ethical Responsibility in Research on Chinese Medicine. Medicine & Philosophy: Humanistic and Social Medicine 2008; 3.
52. K. Qi & Q. Chuan. Analysis of Current Laboratory Animal Science Administration in China. ILAR e-Journal 2010; 51: e1-e10.
53. J-w. Chang. China and the EU Laboratory Animal Welfare Act Comparison. Available at: http://blog.china.com.cn/changjiwen/art/131780.html. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
54. Selected publications include: D. Qin. Involving the Law in Scientific Misconduct. Science & Technology Progress and Policy 2005; 8.
55. Y-j. Xu. The Criminalization of Academic Misconduct. Science of Science and Management of Science and Technology 2007; 12.
56. Z-y. Liu. The Fraudulent Practices in Research Papers. Journal of Liaoning Police Academy 2005; 5.
57. D. Qin, Z-l. Song, & P. Wang. The Involvement of the Law in Misconduct in Science. Studies in Dialectics of Nature 2003; 19.
58. F. Wang. Plagiarism: It Involves Not just Ethical Responsibilities, but also Legal Responsibilities. Science Research Management 1999; 20.
59. For example, see Q. Zhang, E-p Wang, & J-g Sun. The Current Situation and Management Strategies of Research Ethics and Academic Atmosphere. Science Research Management 2009; 30: 144-153.
60. Z-n Yang & P. Wang. An Analysis on the Present State of Research Ethics of Postgraduates. Science and Technology Review 1998; (1): 42-44.
61. Arguments for the criminalization of research misconduct in the US, for example, relate almost exclusively to the prosecution of fraud. A review of the legal requirements for civil and criminal punishment of research fraud are found in S.J Tilden. Incarceration, Restitution and Lifetime Disbarment: Legal Consequences of Scientific Misconduct in the Eric Poehlman Case. Sci Eng Ethics 2010; 16: 737-741.
62. T. Zhuang & B-q. Nie. Establishing and Perfecting the Academic Ethics System through Moral Education. Science Research Management 2008; S1;
63. Z-x. Zeng. On the Character of Scientific Researchers. University Education Science 2007; 3.
64. L. Chang. An Analysis of Scientists' Ethical Responsibility and the Values They Hold. Journal of Huaiyin Teachers College Social Sciences Edition 2004; 6
65. J-h. Pan. The Duality of Scientific Achievements and the Social Ethical Responsibility of Scientists. Journal of Wuhan University of Science and Technology: Social Science Edition 2001; 3.
66. Y-b. Li. On Universities' Ethical Spirit. Value Engineering 2010; 34
67. Y-g. Shi & R. Yi. China's Research Culture. Science 2011; 1128
68. H. Li, X-x. Wang, D-f. Song & X-g. Zhu. The Problem of Information Asymmetry in Managing Universities' Scientific Research Projects. Journal of Nanjing University of Science and Technology 2008; 21
69. X-x. Zhang. Academic Misconduct by Universities: The Types, Causes, and Solutions. Journal of Tianjin Administrative Cadre College of Politics and Law 2007;
70. H-z. Li. Analyzing the Chain of Benefits of Academic Fraudulent Practices. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University 2007; 27
71. X-c. He. Universities' Academic Misconduct - An Analysis of the Causes and Remedies. Higher Education Forum 2007; 1.
72. J. Hertling. Embarrassment in Hong Kong. Chron High Educ 1995; 41: 43-44
73. L. Ying-Kit, D. Lee, 'Ex-HKU Surgery Head Sentenced to Community Service' South China Morning Post, 19 April 2012.
74. E. Luk, Official Kept CUHK Job as Sex Claims Hushed, The Standard, 24 April 2012.
75. C. Lee, Former Med School Dean Sent to Jail, China Daily, September 4, 2009
76. E. Heffter, Art Gallery Settles Fraud Case, The Seattle Times, 29 October 2005.
77. According to Article 5, Chapter 1 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, which is the constitution-like document for the special administrative region, 'The socialist system and policies shall not be practised in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years'. The 1997 handover returned Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China from the colonial suzerainty of the United Kingdom, while the 2047 'handover' will integrate Hong Kong fully into the PRC.
78. Cheung, Chinn and Fujii propose that China and Hong Kong have integrated more than China and Taiwan or Taiwan and Hong Kong in terms of financial cooperation (see: Y.-w. Cheung, M. D. Chinn, E. Fujii, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan: A Quantitative Assessment of Real and Financial Integration. China Economic Review 14, 281 (2003)).
79. Holliday and Wong propose that the two areas are moving towards integrated policy in social welfare systems (unemployment and housing assistance, for example) even though the paths to integration do not seem to be purposefully aligned, but alight through shared philosophies and ministerial coordination (see: I. Holliday, L. Wong, Social Policy Under One Country, Two Systems: Institutional Dynamics in China and Hong Kong since 1997. Public Administration Review 63, 269-282 (2003)).
80. Ministry of Health. Interim Measures for Guidelines on Ethical Review of Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, 2007, (Mandarin), Available at: http://www.moh.gov.cn/publicfiles. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
81. The State Food and Drug Administration has issued multiple rules and guidelines, found on page 71 of The Office for Human Research Protections 'International Compilation of Human Research Protections', 2011. Available at: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/international/intlcompilation/hspcompilation-v20101130.pdf. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
82. National Natural Science Foundation of China. Strengthening Views on Research Integrity. 23 November 2009. Available at: http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/Portal0/InfoModule_396/28832.htm [Accessed 20 June 2012]
83. Joint Committee for Promoting Research Integrity in China. Opinions on Strengthening Research Integrity of Our Country. 26 August 2009. Available at: http://www.sinori.cn/jsp/archives/archivesViewDtEn!archivesViewDtEn.action?modelId=1&columnId=&archivesId=3621. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
84. State Food and Drug Administration. Chinese Good Clinical Practice. 2003.
85. B. Salter & R-z. Qiu. Bioethical Governance and Basic Stem Cell Science: China and the Global Biomedicine Economy. Sci Public Policy 2009; 36: 47-59.
86. M. E. Sleeboom-Faulkner. National Risk Signatures and Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in Mainland China. Health Risk Soc 2010; 12: 491-511
87. M. E. Sleeboom-Faulkner. Boundary Making and Good Stem Cell Research (SCR) in Mainland China: Including Bioethics, Excluding Debate. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 2010; 4: 31-51
88. S. Wong. Understanding the Chinese Market. Scrip Clinical Research 2009; 16: 24-27
89. N. Zhao, C. Yao & J. Chen. On Amendments of China's Provisions for Drug Registration. Drug Inf J 2008; 42: 467-475
90. H. Jia. China Beckons to Clinical Trial Sponsors. Nat Biotechnol 2005; 23: 768.
91. D. Mao & Q. Zheng. Encouraging an Environment for Pharmaceutical R&D in China. J Pharm Innov 2009; 4: 152-154
92. G. Pei. China's Growing Clinical Culture. Good Clin Pract J 2005; 12: 11-13.
93. An example of efforts to provide additional English language regulatory materials and guidance documents can be found on the website of the State Food and Drug Administration of China available at http://eng.sfda.gov.cn/WS03/CL0757/. This website is kept up-to-date, with the latest entry corresponding to 26 April 2012. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
94. J. Karlberg & J.W.F. Lui. The Current Status of Clinical Trials in Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China. Drug Infor J 1998; 32: 1227S-1234S.
95. Chinese Medicines Ordinance of the Laws of Hong Kong. Capitation 549F, regulations 33 and 34, 1999. Available at: http://www.cmchk.org.hk/eng/main_ord_cap549.htm. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
96. Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance, Capitation 561, 2007. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.hk/blis_pdf.nsf/6799165D2FEE3FA94825755E0033E532/795C7496522C8237482575EF001B5A45?OpenDocument&bt=0. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
97. Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of the Laws of Hong Kong. Capitation 486. Available at: http://www.pcpd.org.hk/english/ordinance/ordfull.html. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
98. Capitation Ordinance 113 establishes the functions of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, but does not offer guidelines for the conduct of research within HA organizations. Capitation 278 Medical (Therapy, Education and Research Ordinance) governs pathology research or research on body parts of the deceased.
99. Capitation 138A Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.hk/blis_pdf.nsf/6799165D2FEE3FA94825755E0033E532/98C7D17989BE0FD1482575EE0043A3C8?OpenDocument&bt=0. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
100. For example, Capitation Ordinance 1141 establishes operational guidelines for the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Capitation Ordinance 1053 establishes operational guidelines for the University of Hong Kong. Research is implied in the mandate of the universities but no guidelines for the conduct of research are established here.
101. Capitation 169, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance and Capitation 169A Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations and Animals (Control of Experiments) Ordinance Capitation 340 govern the conduct of animal research.
102. Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong. Available at: http://www.ipd.gov.hk/eng/pub_press/publications/hk.htm. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
103. Capitation 303, Radiation Ordinance establishes the Radiation Board that issues guidance on use of and licensure for use and transportation of radioactive substances in Hong Kong. Available at: http://www.info.gov.hk/dh-rhu/english/html/english_publications.htm. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
104. See Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Moral Science: Protecting Participants in Human Subjects Research. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office; 2011.
105. In the 2011-2012 Policy Address, then Chief Executive Donald K-Y Tsang outlined that Hong Kong will be working to enhance its role as a hub for 'education services' and 'innovation and technology'. In the section on innovation and technology, he reminds that 'During his visit to Hong Kong, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang announced the setting up of a Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre and a High-tech Industrialisation Base in Hong Kong'. Tsang DY-K. 2011-2012 Policy Address by the Chief Executive. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government; 2011.
106. It remains to be seen whether the PRC will require Hong Kong partnering institutions to adopt their policies on research integrity and research ethics, such as is required under the terms of the US Federal Wide Assurance, for example.
107. Approval to administer this survey on line with a waiver of documentation of written informed consent was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee for Non-Clinical Faculties (EA530210). The survey link was sent by a representative of the Personnel Unit of the university in order to blind the identity of the PI to the respondents and to preserve respondent's identity, blinding their email addresses to the PI.
108. The pertinence of the Belmont Report to research conducted at University of Hong Kong is that HKU is a holder of a Federal Wide Assurance and has at least 4 Institutional Review Boards registered with the US Department of Health and Human Services. In the terms to the FWA, the Belmont Report is explicitly cited as the normative guiding document for research ethics involving human subjects.
109. Office of the President- Office of Science and Technology Policy. Federal Policy on Research Misconduct. Federal Register 2000; 65: 76260-76264.
110. D. Rennie, V. Yank, & L. Emanuel. When Authorship Fails: A Proposal to Make Contributors Accountable. JAMA 1997; 278: 579-585.
111. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Considerations in the Conduct and Reporting of Research: Authorship and Contributorship. 2009; Available at:http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html. [Accessed 20 June 2012].
112. S.R. Benatar. Ethical Imperialism, Research Ethics, and Global Health. J Med Ethics 1998; 24: 221-222.
113. See for example: C. Cabral-Cardoso. Ethical Misconduct in the Business School: A Case of Plagiarism that Turned Bitter. J Bus Ethics 2004; 49: 75-89
114. D. Fanelli. How Many Scientists Fabricate and Falsify Research? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Survey Data. PLoS One 2009; 4(5)
115. G. Geller, A. Boyce, D.E. Ford, & J. Sugarman. Beyond 'Compliance': The Role of Institutional Culture in Promoting Research Integrity. Acad Med 2010; 85: 1296-1302
116. J.P. Swazey, M.S. Anderson, & K.S. Lewis. Ethical Problems in Academic Research. Am Sci 1993; 81: 542-553.
117. See for example: J.M. Braxton & L.L. Baird. Preparation for Professional Self-Regulation. Sci Eng Ethics 2001; 7(4): 593-610.
118. P. Cossette. Research Integrity: An Exploratory Survey of Administrative Science Faculties. Journal of Business Ethics 2004; 49: 213-234
119. B. MacFarlane & Y. Saitoh. Research Ethics in Japanese Higher Education: Faculty Attitudes and Cultural Mediation. Journal of Academic Ethics 2008; 6: 181-195
120. D.L. McCabe, K.D. Butterfield & L.K. Treviño. Faculty and Academic Integrity: The Influence of Current Honor Codes and Past Honor Code Experiences. Res High Educn 2003; 44: 367-385
121. Following the recommendations of RCR educators cited in footnotes 53 and 54, we would argue that greater empirical research assessing faculty instructional needs in RCR should be done so that useful instruction for filling the gaps in faculty knowledge can be provided. We have done some research, presented in the Asia-Pacific Research Ethics Conference (2010), on this issue.
122. The survey, information sheet, and methods were approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee for Non-Clinical Faculties of the University of Hong Kong. A waiver of written documentation of informed consent was obtained due to the minimal risk nature of the survey, with the proviso that an independent information sheet detailing students' rights was provided with the survey instrument.
123. National Institutes of Health. 2009. Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.
124. Financial support for this survey came from the Office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research.
125. D.K. Plemmons, S.A. Brody & M.W. Kalichman. Student Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Education in the Responsible Conduct of Research. Sci Eng Ethics 2006; 12: 571-582
126. S.T. Powell, M.A. Allison & M.W. Kalichman. Effectiveness of a Responsible Conduct of Research Course: A Preliminary Study. Sci Eng Ethics 2007; 13: 249-264.
127. K. Leung & M. H. Bond. On the Empirical Identification of Dimensions for Cross-Cultural Comparisons. J Cross-Cult Psychol 1989; 20: 133-151.
128. P. B. Smith. Acquiescent Response Bias as an Aspect of Cultural Communication Style. J Cross-Cult Psychol 2004; 35: 50-63
129. D. Watkins & S. Cheung. Culture, Gender, and Response Bias: An Analysis of Response to the Self-Description Questionnaire. J Cross-Cult Psychol 1995; 26: 490-504
130. A.Y.K. Poon & Y.-C. Wong. Education Reform in Hong Kong: The 'Through-Road' Model and Its Societal Consequences. Int Rev Educ 2008; 54: 33-55.
131. C. Wan. Reforming Higher Education in Hong Kong towards Post-Massification: The First Decade and Challenges Ahead. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 2011; 33: 115-129
132. S.Y.S. Yeung. Is Student-Centered Pedagogy Impossible in Hong Kong? The Case of Inquiry in Classrooms. Asia Pacific Education Review 2009; 10: 377-386
133. E. Heitman, C.H. Olsen, L. Anestidou & R.E. Bulger. New Graduate Students' Baseline Knowledge of the Responsible Conduct of Research. Acad Med 2007; 82: 838-854.
134. One point on generalizeability of our findings is that University of Hong Kong is likely 'more internationalized' than other Hong Kong or Mainland Chinese universities at least as calculated by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2010-2011 (which would include data from the year in which we conducted our survey). For 2010-2011, University of Hong Kong had the second highest 'international outlook' indicator (91.4) behind Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (97.4), which was well ahead of the next ranked Hong Kong institution (Hong Kong Polytechnic University (82.9) and the next (Hong Kong Baptist University (71.8). When the Times Higher Education World Rankings recalculated their 'international outlook' score for 2011-2012 to include 'proportion of international students and staff' plus 'proportion of research papers with at least 1 international co author', these rankings changed markedly with University of Hong Kong having an international outlook score of 91.4, followed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology having a score of 80.1, with Chinese University of Hong Kong having an 'international outlook' score of 69.5. For the 2010-2011 scores, the highest ranked university in the PRC - University of Science and Technology of China did not report scores that allowed the Times to calculate an international outlook score. The second highest institution, Tsinghua University, had an international outlook score of 43. Times Higher Education. World University Rankings 2010-11. Available at: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html [Accessed 20 June 2012] and Times Higher Education. World University Rankings 2011-12. Available at: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html [Accessed 20 June 2012].
135. For example, the Independent Council Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong emphasizes the importance of non-conflict of interest and 'clean business' in its outreach activities to students. Ma K. Professional Ethics and Corruption Prevention- Lecture for CCHU9020: Being Good when No One is Watching. In: Independent Commission against Corruption, editor. University of Hong Kong, 2012.
136. Bird S.J. Mentors, Advisors and Supervisors: Their Role in Teaching Responsible Research Conduct. Sci Eng Ethics 2001; 7(4): 455-468.
137. For example, the University Grants Council of Hong Kong, within their circulars for calls for grant funding, whether under the Research Grants Council's General Research Fund (GRF) or Public Policy Research fund (PPR) has increased their coverage of research ethics, now requiring investigator assurance statements and more elaborate (e.g., more categories of boxes to tick) forms to certify that investigators met ethical requirements prior to submission of their grant applications.
138. See, for example, section 9 and 13 of: The University of Hong Kong. Public Policy Research Funding Scheme 2012/2013. Circular 86/1111. November 9, 2011
139. Research Grants Council. Public Policy Research (PPR) 2012/2013 - Explanatory Notes (PPR2) for completing the Application Form. November 2011.
140. Ministry of Health. Interim Regulations on Recall of Medical Devices. Available at; http://www.moh.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/mohzcfgs/s3576/201106/51998.htm, [Accessed 20 June 2012]
141. State Food and Drug Administration. Guideline on Ethical Review of Drug Clinical Trials. Available at; http://www.sda.gov.cn/WS01/CL0058/55613.html, [Accessed 20 June 2012]; translations of guideline titles from Office for Human Research Protections. International Compilation of Human Research Standards, 2012 Edition. pp. 81-82.
142. See, for example: European Science Foundation Member Organisation Forum on Research Integrity. Fostering Research Integrity in Europe-Executive Report. In: Foundation ES, editor. Strasbourg: European Science Foundation; 2010.
143. Chinese Association for Science and Technology. China Science Association Publishes Moral Code for Academics. Available at: http://english.cast.org.cn/n1181872/n1182018/n1182078/47611.html [Accessed 20 June 2012].
144. K. Prpić. Generational Similarities and Differences in Researchers' Professional Ethics: An Empirical Comparison. Scientometrics 2005; 62: 27-51
145. Much of the on-going empirical research on RCR in China is in a preliminary stage. For example, one of the authors of this article has reviewed two submissions to other journals on the matter of surveying Chinese scholars on RCR within this calendar year.