The perverse effects of competition on scientists' work and relationships.
Competition among scientists for funding, positions and prestige, among other things, is often seen as a salutary driving force in U.S. science. Its effects on scientists, their work and their relationships are seldom considered. Focus-group discussions with 51 mid- and early-career scientists, on which this study is based, reveal a dark side of competition in science. According to these scientists, competition contributes to strategic game-playing in science, a decline in free and open sharing of information and methods, sabotage of others' ability to use one's work, interference with peer-review processes, deformation of relationships, and careless or questionable research conduct. When competition is pervasive, such effects may jeopardize the progress, efficiency and integrity of science.
Anderson
Melissa S
MS
Department of Educational Policy and Administration, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. mand@umn.edu
Ronning
Emily A
EA
De Vries
Raymond
R
Martinson
Brian C
BC
D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000941:ethics; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*; D015871:Scientific Misconduct