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‘I will have a problem with graduating if I don’t include her name’: exploring the ethical dilemma of PhD candidates in the issue of scientific gift

Quality & Quantity (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Gift authorship, one of the common abuses in academic writing, is an unethical practice perpetuated by researchers at all levels and in many institutions around the world. This article addresses the perspectives of PhD students in respect to the ethical dilemma faced during the fulfilment of their publication requirement of graduation. The primary dilemma being; should I include my supervisor's name in my publication or not, even though they haven’t substantially contributed to my journal publication to warrant authorship accordion. To explore the viewpoint of PhD students in the issue of their journal mandate, this study conducts a semi-formal interview with 15 PhD candidates enrolled in a thought-program. The result indicates that concerning the ethical dilemmas experienced in PhD students publication requirement of graduation, the following perspectives were dominant; (i) freedom of choice and decision making, (ii) lack of action and incompetence (iii) lack of convincing rules on authorship guidelines (iv) the question of trust, and (v) abuse of power.

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  1. Mass Communication Department, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria

    Adeola Abdulateef Elega

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  1. Adeola Abdulateef Elega
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Elega, A.A. ‘I will have a problem with graduating if I don’t include her name’: exploring the ethical dilemma of PhD candidates in the issue of scientific gift. Qual Quant (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-022-01598-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-022-01598-0

Keywords

  • PhD candidates
  • Ethical dilemma
  • Scientific gift
  • Academic publications