Academic bullies leave no trace

Abstract

Bullying in academic science is a growing concern. It may vary in severity from insults, snubs, or invasions of privacy to violations of intellectual property and unfair crediting of authors. In extreme cases it may even include coercing lab workers to sign away rights to authorship or even intellectual property. Cumbersome institutional protocols and fears of reprisal may discourage targets of bullying from reporting such incidents; lab workers in the US on visas may feel especially vulnerable. Possible strategies to combat bullying include detailed examination of relevant documentation for signs of coercion or inaccuracy and specific training on reporting for those at risk of abuse.