A multicenter cross-sectional study on perceptions and peer-reported prevalence of research misconduct among Chinese medical postgraduates

This study aimed to explore the gap between attitudes towards and personally observed breaches of research integrity among medical postgraduates in China, a critical yet understudied population. We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey among postgraduates at three Chinese medical schools. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate their attitudes toward research integrity breaches and their perceptions of such behaviors among peers. Among 983 respondents (719 master's, 264 doctoral), a strong majority condemned serious research misconduct. Only 0.93% expressed acceptance for falsifying images to reverse results, and 1.53% for manipulating data to achieve significance. However, peer-reports revealed a higher prevalence of observed misconduct, with 18.41% indicating knowledge of data fabrication among peers. In conclusion, while Chinese medical postgraduates largely condemn serious research misconduct, the peer-reported occurrence of such behaviors indicates that ethical awareness has not been fully translated into practice. These findings highlight the need for bolstered educational initiatives and suggest that the peer-report method can be a key tool for educators to assess and address integrity issues within their institutions.