Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of ‘hyper-ambition’ in academia as a contributing factor to what has been termed a ‘replication crisis’ across some sciences. The replication crisis is an umbrella term that covers a range of ‘questionable research practices’, from sloppy reporting to fraud. There are already many proposals to address questionable research practices, some of which focus on the values, norms, and motivations of researchers and institutes, and suggest measures to promote research integrity. Yet it is not easy to promote integrity in hyper-competitive academic environments that value high levels of ambition. I argue that in such contexts, it is as likely that a kind of hyper-ambition is fostered that (inadvertently or otherwise) prioritises individual success above all, including to the detriment of scientific quality. In addition, efforts to promote values like integrity falter because they rely on sufficient uniformity in motivations or tendencies. Codes and guidance promoting integrity are, however, likely to influence those for whom such values are not optional, while others simply find ways around them. To demonstrate this I offer a thought experiment in which we consider the imaginary working situations of two ordinary academics. I conclude that tackling questionable research practices in the light of the replication crisis requires robust ‘top down’ measures that expect and accommodate a broader range of academic values, motivations, and tendencies, while challenging those that help to promote hyper-ambition.

中文翻译：

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野心勃勃和复制危机：为什么促进研究诚信的措施会动摇

摘要

本文介绍了学术界“野心勃勃”的概念，认为这是某些科学领域所谓的“复制危机”的一个促成因素。复制危机是一个总称，涵盖了从草率报告到欺诈等一系列“有问题的研究实践”。已经有许多建议来解决有问题的研究实践，其中一些建议侧重于研究人员和机构的价值观、规范和动机，并提出了促进研究诚信的措施。然而，在竞争激烈且重视雄心壮志的学术环境中促进诚信并不容易。我认为，在这种情况下，很可能会滋生一种过度野心，这种野心（无意中或以其他方式）将个人成功置于首位，包括损害科学质量。此外，提倡正直等价值观的努力也会步履蹒跚，因为它们依赖于动机或倾向的足够一致性。然而，促进诚信的准则和指导可能会影响那些无法选择这些价值观的人，而其他人则只是想方设法绕过它们。为了证明这一点，我提供了一个思想实验，其中我们考虑了两位普通学者的想象工作情境。我的结论是，鉴于复制危机，解决有问题的研究实践需要采取强有力的“自上而下”措施，期望并适应更广泛的学术价值观、动机和倾向，同时挑战那些有助于促进过度野心的措施。