Scholarly Integrity - Office of Research Integrity (ORI) Case | Findings of Research Misconduct

This case involved Dr. Eric J. Smart, which research was conducted and the findings were falsely reported and is considered an act of misconduct in falsifying and/or fabricating data.

Summary of Report:
The report was based on an investigation on Eric J. Smart, Ph.D., a former Professor of Pediatrics and Physiology, Department of Pediatrics and Physiology at University of Kentucky (UK). Eric committed research misconduct by falsifying and/or fabricating images in a NIH grant application, duplicating and altering images, and one RT-PCR image, and falsely submitting an earlier version of the grant application.He was also found guilty for duplicating and altering thirty-three figures included in ten published papers, one submitted manuscript, and two NIH grant applications.

The investigation was initiated by Dr. Smart's former institution,University of Kentucky (UK) and an additional review was conducted by ORI, which found him guilty in misconducting research supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grants, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, and National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), NIH.

Ramifications: 
Dr. Smart entered a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement and voluntarily agreed for a period of seven years, to retract a number of publications, exclude himself from any contracting or subcontracting with any agency of the United States Government and from eligibility or involvement in non-procurement programs of the United States Government, and to relinquish any advisory capacity to PHS including, but not limited to, service on any PHS advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or as a consultant.

Reflection:
Apparently, Dr. Smart was submitting figures and images in the NIH grant applications that was identified as falsified documents. He tried to manipulate the research material in which wasn't an accurate representation of the research on record. The manner Dr. Smart conducted his research was against ethical standards in which discredits him as a researcher as well as his research.In this case I would call him, Dr. Not so Smart and the best policy is to follow those set ethical standards and adhere. When undertaking research, it's our social, professional, and scientific obligation to make sure the information we're releasing to the populace is accurate when making it available to the public in order to contribute to social change, advance existing or establish new body of knowledge, and hopefully add to the greater good.

For more information: Dr. Eric Smart