Ethical behaviors of Latin American psychotherapy researchers

Abstract

The ethical practices of psychotherapy researchers in Latin America were surveyed online. Of the 114 psychotherapy researchers to whom the survey was sent, 76 responded (67% response rate). Seventy-seven percent of the respondents had not received formal training in research ethics, yet 84% indicated that formal training is useful for the prevention of scientific misbehavior. Researchers admitted to various ethically questionable practices, the most common of which were related to authorship. None reported having fabricated or falsified data. The need for adequate training and evaluation of research projects is addressed.