Treat me fairly now or I will commit misconduct later: integrating general strain and procedural (in)justice in graduate education
| Date | 01 August 2024 |
| Pages | 416-429 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-05-2024-0145 |
| Published date | 01 August 2024 |
| Author | Stephanie Geoghan,Kristy Holtfreter |
Treat me fairly now or I will commit
misconduct later: integrating
general strain and procedural
(in)justice in graduate education
Stephanie Geoghan and Kristy Holtfreter
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University,
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to integrate general strain theory and procedural justice in the
contextof researchmisconduct in university settings.
Design/methodology/approach –Drawing on media accounts and past research, the authors present
data on the financial costsof research misconduct to universities and identify graduateschool processes as a
possible source of strain may lead to misconduct. Relevant research on procedural justice in organizational
settingsis also examined.
Findings –The available literature suggests that the use of procedurally just practices will help reduce
strain, and in doingso, potentially prevent research misconduct in universitysettings. The authors present an
integrated theoretical modelthat can be tested in future empirical studies of research misconductand other
forms of white-collarcrime in universities. Directions for futuretheoretically informed research are discussed,
along with recommendationsfor graduate program administrators.
Originality/value –Research misconduct causes significant financial and reputational costs to universities.
While past research focuseson mentoring and trainingfor preventing misconduct by graduate students, this
studyargues that the useof fair evaluationsand other procedurallyjust processesis also important.
Keywords General strain theory, Procedural justice, Graduate school, Research misconduct,
White-collar crime
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
Research misconduct includes a variety of misbehaviors involving the wrongful use of
deception to advance personal interestin the process of proposing, conducting, reviewing or
reporting research. It encompasses acts like data fabrication, data falsification and
plagiarism (Office of Research Integrity, 2024). There are many high-profile examples of
research misconduct, including the University of California Los Angeles doctoral student
who faked public opinion data on marriageequality (Ashwanden and Koerth, 2016), and the
fraudulent research by Dr. Andrew Wakefield suggesting a link between vaccines and
autism (Flaherty, 2011). The consequences of research misconduct are serious. Policies and
practices based on fraudulentresearch can threaten public health and safety and undermine
public confidence in the scientific enterprise. Cases of research misconduct may give the
public a tangible reason to dismiss scientificfindings, especially when they conflict with
personal ideologies. Research misconduct can also wreak reputational and financial havoc
on respected universities, as demonstrated by the recent $112.5m settlement against Duke
University for falsifyingresults to defraud the federal government of $200m in grant money
JFC
32,2
416
Journalof Financial Crime
Vol.32 No. 2, 2025
pp. 416-429
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1359-0790
DOI 10.1108/JFC-05-2024-0145
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/1359-0790.htm
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