Perceptions of Chinese Pharmacy Postgraduates Regarding Academic Research and Academic Misconduct: A Qualitative Study

Pharmacy postgraduates are an indispensable force for conducting research in pharmaceutical science and technology. However, how they conduct academic research and perceive academic misconduct has remained underexplored. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of Chinese pharmacy postgraduates on academic research and academic misconduct. This study utilized the method of inductive content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Chinese pharmacy postgraduates at a medical university in China, including seven males and 10 females. The subsequent data analysis categorized the interview content into primary themes and subthemes, adhering to rigorous and established research protocols. The study identified and reported five key themes concerning the perceptions of academic research and misconduct among Chinese pharmacy postgraduates at a medical university in China: motivations for engaging in academic research, challenges encountered in academic research, strategies for overcoming research challenges, underlying causes of academic misconduct, and impacts of academic misconduct. Chinese pharmacy postgraduates in this study exhibited a spectrum of individual motivations that drove their engagement in academic pursuits, while simultaneously confronting a multitude of internal and external barriers throughout their research endeavors. They surmounted these impediments through a combination of self-adjustment, independent problem-solving, and seeking external assistance. They unanimously believed that academic misconduct was both unethical and illegal, further identifying its root causes and highlighting its broader threat to the academic community. Drawing on these findings, the following recommendations are proposed for academic educators to foster Chinese pharmacy postgraduates’ development: invigorating their research interests, bolstering their research competencies, offering training in critical areas, enhancing the research and writing proficiencies, and developing holistic evaluation criteria for scholarships and honors.