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Today’s session
2RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
• An introduction to the Research Integrity Office
• A quick look at policy and guidelines• Some examples of cases involving HDR
candidates and supervisors• Suggestions for good research practice
based on our experiences• Discussion of your experiences with
research integrity
What would you do?
3RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
• Michael is supervising a candidate who is conducting research abroad.
• The candidate is not a native English speaker and has needed extensive assistance with writing in the past.
• The candidate is sending results and draft chapters back to Michael.
• Michael notices that the standard of writing has improved dramatically.
• What should Michael do?
The Research Integrity Team
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RESEARCH INTEGRITY OFFICE (BEN PITCHER & MARGAUX LE GUAY):[email protected] 1031
DIRECTOR, RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY (KANDY WHITE):[email protected] 7854
PROF LESLEY HUGHES, PRO-VICE CHANCELLOR (RESEARCH INTEGRITY AND DEVELOPMENT)
WEB:WWW.RESEARCH.MQ.EDU.AU/RESEARCH_INTEGRITYRESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
What do we do?
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EDUCATION:• For all research staff and students• Web-based content• Face-to-face sessions• Supervisor training
INVESTIGATION:• Preliminary investigation of allegations• Coordinate further investigation• Report to the DVCR
The Research Integrity Team
RESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
The policy framework
The Australian Code
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FOR THE RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH
• Endorsed by NHMRC, ARC and Universities Australia in 2007
• Why is it important? Promote research integrity Describes best practice in
research for researchers and institutions
Compliance is a requisite for NHMRC and ARC funding
RESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
The Macquarie Code
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Available on Policy Centralhttp://mq.edu.au/policy/category.html#research
MAIN TOPICS ADDRESSED:• General principles of responsible research• Management of research data and primary materials• Supervision of research trainees• Publication and dissemination of research findings• Authorship• Peer Review• Conflicts of Interest• Collaborative research across institutions
FOR THE RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH
RESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
Research Misconduct
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BREACHES:Unintentional failures to comply with principles or specific policies
RESEARCH MISCONDUCT:Breaches of principles or policies that are intentional, reckless or grossly & persistently negligent, e.g.• Fabrication or falsification of data or results• Plagiarism• Failure to manage risks to humans, animals or environment
or obtain & maintain appropriate ethical approval• Misleading ascription of authorship• Non-disclosure of conflicts of interest
AND BREACHES OF THE CODE
RESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
Research Integrity
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THE MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY CODE FOR THE RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH• Sets out the standards expected of our researchers• http://mq.edu.au/policy/category.html#research
• DOES NOT differentiate between HDR candidates and staff
HDR CANDIDATES
The Changing PhD, Discussion Paper, March 2013, The Group of Eight
HDR Candidates as Researchers
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DO THE PRIORITIES OF CANDIDATES AND THE UNIVERSITY MESH?• The value of HDR research vs training
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?• Plagiarism• Fabrication / falsification• Compliance with legislation / policy• Contract cheating…
The Fraud Triangle
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http://www.organizingcreativity.com/2014/08/using-the-fraud-triangle-to-explain-scientific-misconduct/
RESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
Some HDR cases
Authorship
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• Five cases involving authorship in 18 months• All cases involve research students• Two cases where HDR candidates were removed from papers• Two cases where supervisors allegedly used candidate’s work
without appropriate attribution
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
To be an author you must make a substantial contribution to a combination of:1. Conceiving or designing the project,2. Analysing and interpreting the data,3. Writing or critically revising the intellectual content of the
output.AND
• Give final agreement to the version to be published
Authorship
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• Getting funding, collecting data, giving technical assistance or materials don’t automatically count for authorship
• People who don’t qualify as authors should be acknowledged
• Discuss authorship and have a written record of discussions/agreementsRESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
Contract cheating
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WHAT IS IT?• Contracting others to complete a piece of academic
work• Typically a bespoke piece of writing on a particular
topic, but may be other work, e.g. source code • Essay mills (custom writing services -
“ghostwriting”)• Auction sites (tendering for services)• Essay banks (pre-written essays)WHO DOES IT?• Largely seen as a problem amongst undergraduate
students• Emerging as a problem amongst postgraduates• Very rare amongst research staff
Contract cheating
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• Three recent cases at Macquarie under investigation• Two cases - Allegations of candidates using professional writers
via online services• “Editorial services” or “writing coaches”• One case - Reports of PhD candidates and/or supervisors
employing postdocs to write papers for inclusion in a thesis
• Detected by: changes in writing style, metadata in files, tipoffs
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
Managing Your Research Group
Managing your research group
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM RETRACTIONS
1. Expect errors to occur2. Have redundancy in your research team3. Own your errors4. Build checks into your routine5. Plan blocks of research time6. Know your competencies7. Create an open culture8. Lead investigators (supervisors) must assume full responsibility 9. If something doesn’t make sense - ask about it
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
Kullgren & Carter (2015) Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology. 3:352-357
Tips for supervisors
Tips for supervisors
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• Ensure you and your candidate are familiar with the Macquarie Code
• Discuss data management and keep a copy of the data when they leave
• Talk about authorship and keep records of discussions• Check they understand plagiarism• Train candidates in peer review• Discuss conflicts of interest and how to manage them• Meet regularly with your candidates
• If things aren’t going well raise it in the Progress Reports• Seek advice…RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
Using Professional Editors
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GUIDELINES FOR EDITING RESEARCH THESES
• Agreement by the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) and the Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies (DDoGS)
• http://iped-editors.org/About_editing/Editing_theses.aspx
• Supervisors will provide editorial advice relating to matters of substance and structure; language (including matters of clarity, voice and tone, grammar, spelling and punctuation, specialised and foreign material); and use of illustrations and tables. They may also assist with copyediting and proofreading.
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
Using Professional Editors
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GUIDELINES FOR EDITING RESEARCH THESES• Professional editing should be restricted to copyediting and proofreading
• May draw attention to problems in matters of substance and structure, but should not provide solutions
• If used in any form, the name of the editor and a brief description of the service rendered, should be included as part of the list of acknowledgements.
• Copyediting: grammar, spelling, capitalisation, punctuation, hyphenation and overall correctness and consistency.
• Proofreading: verification of copy, integrity check, proofing, conformity with house style, format
RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY I RESEARCH OFFICE
Research Integrity Advisors
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• Associate Deans of Higher Degree Research and Research
• RIAs can provide advice on good research practice Talk about issues before they become problems
• RIAs also provide advice about reporting breaches
• If researchers have concerns: Talk to any RIA, not just in their faculty Talk in hypotheticals Get their help and advice in preparing a complaintRESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
Contact us
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RESEARCH INTEGRITY OFFICE (BEN PITCHER & MARGAUX LE GUAY):[email protected] 1031
DIRECTOR, RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY (KANDY WHITE):[email protected] 7854
WEB:WWW.RESEARCH.MQ.EDU.AU/RESEARCH_INTEGRITY
OR contact a Research Integrity Advisor
THE RESEARCH INTEGRITY TEAM
RESEARCH OFFICE I RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
