Transcript Document

Enhancing a Culture of Research
Integrity
Susan Porter
Faculty of Graduate Studies
University of British Columbia
Main messages:
1.It is essential that our graduates understand and
practice what it means to do research with integrity.
2.An RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research) course can
positively change thinking and practice
3.These changes can spread to others
4.An RCR course by itself isn’t sufficient (and if not done
properly, may be ineffective or harmful)
5.“It takes a village” (humans, in culture) to nurture the
next generation of ethical researchers
UBC
• 10,00 graduate students
• 3500 Doctoral students
• 6500 Masters students
• 38,000 undergraduate students
• 2700 faculty
• $0.5B / yr research funds
Integrity in the Practice of Research
What it’s not…
• Keeping a sloppy notebook; guessing at precise
procedure when repeating or publishing
• Excluding data because they don’t confirm hypothesis
• Designing a study to yield desired results
• Enhancing image to exclude information
• Inappropriately including/excluding authors
• Using words or ideas of others without acknowledgment
• Delaying peer review to allow completion of own
competing work
• Keeping students on beyond what is in their best
interests
What influences our moral choices?
Knowledge of responsible practices
Rules, penalties
Rewards
Sufficient?
NO
See TED Talk: Barry Schwartz on our
loss of wisdom
Awareness
Disposition to care
Recognize that it’s an
ethical situation
Reflect, “feel the
weight”, learn
Reasoning
Insight
Experience
Courage
Do the right thing
Desire to do the right
thing
Reasoning
Imagination
Commitment
Formulate options - consult
with others; think creatively
Experience
Recognition of own
biases
Communicative
competence
Assess options from ethical,
scholarly, pragmatic and
regulatory viewpoints - know
rules and norms
Empathy
Reasoning
Intuition
Student:
“Telling people what to do won’t really affect their true
character. Most of this is actually influenced by the lab
supervisor, colleagues and friends.”
Ethical behaviour is positively associated with:
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Frequent, open and group discussion
Mentoring in ethics, research, personal development
Contextualized exposure
Environment that is transparent, fair, caring, ethical
Organization that values ethical behaviour and traits
of moral identity (fairness, compassion, honesty,
trustworthiness)
Role models
Sharing of stories
Well-developed moral judgment
(RCR course + integrated coursework)
Ethical behaviour is negatively associated with:
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Competitive environment
Only valuing “success” or bottom-line
“Survival” mentoring
Overlooking or approving unethical behaviour
Approaches
• RCR courses with cases/discussion
• Integration of research integrity
issues in coursework and
professional development program
• Integration of research integrity issues/cases in lab
meetings
• Supervisor/student expectations agreements,
evaluation
• Supervisor professional development
• Mentorship awards
• Opportunities to hear/speak with role models
(eg RCR courses, “Leaders’ Dialogue” series)
Faculty of Medicine RCR course
•Mandatory for 2nd year biomedical science graduate students, 100/yr
•(2 x 3.5 hrs) x 3 annually
•Faculty + postdocs (5-10 each/yr) attend, facilitate case discussions
•Combined lecture, case discussion, video
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Why responsible conduct?
Ethics and ethical reasoning (30 min)
Pressures, conflicts in research
Responsible practices in:
• Experimental design; obtaining data; recording, presenting,
analyzing, interpreting & sharing data
• Publication (writing, authorship, peer review, quantity, etc)
• Human subjects
• Conflicts of interest
• (Mentoring, Research misconduct, Use of funds)
Students
Will this course affect the way you think about or do your research?
n=135
I was already ethical
I knew it all before
It has made me more aware
I don’t decide most things
No
Not
really
Yes
I will -…be more careful
…know better how to prevent
problems
…keep a better lab book
…be more conscious of my biases
…communicate more with my
supervisor
…be more critical towards data
analysis
…be more aware of my rights and
responsibilities
…see it as part of a bigger picture
Faculty comments
Participating as a facilitator opened my eyes as to how
students think about what exactly responsible research is,
and how I might change the mentorship and guidance I
provide…
Immediately following the course I had heightened
awareness of ethical issues and this prompted me to
initiate conversations with my students to discuss several
issues that were raised during the course.
I am much more explicit with staff/trainees in explaining
why data must be collected in a blinded fashion
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Primary
outcomes
Changes in:
•Awareness
•Knowledge
•Ethical skill
•Ethical
commitment
•Behaviour

Primary
outcomes
Changes in:
•Awareness
•Knowledge
•Ethical skill
•Ethical
commitment
•Behaviour

Secondary outcomes
•Communication with staff, colleagues,
students, peers, family, friends, lab
meetings (faculty, postdocs, students)
•Incorporation of RCR into curricular
courses (faculty, postdoc)
•Poster presentation (faculty)
•Inclusion of cases in training program
(postdoc, students)
•Inclusion of subject in national
conference (student)
•Case study discussion group (postdoc)
•Investigation of similar course for
residents, fellows (faculty)
•Intention to recommend similar course
for new institution (postdoc)

Primary
outcomes
Changes in:
•Awareness
•Knowledge
•Ethical skill
•Ethical
commitment
•Behaviour

Secondary outcomes
•Communication with staff, colleagues,
students, peers, family, friends, lab
meetings (faculty, postdocs, students)
•Incorporation of RCR into curricular
courses (faculty, postdoc)
•Poster presentation (faculty)
•Inclusion of cases in training program
(postdoc, students)
•Inclusion of subject in national
conference (student)
•Case study discussion group (postdoc)
•Investigation of similar course for
residents, fellows (faculty)
•Intention to recommend similar course
for new institution (postdoc)

Tertiary outcomes
•Use of poster in
curricular course
(faculty)
•Unknown…
Culture change…
“The process of empowerment involves…discovering
and building a network of like-minded allies across the
institution, to build energy toward change.”
Ferguson et al., 2007
Online CITI RCR course
(www.citiprogram.org)
Canadianization:
• Edited every module
- text
- cases
- quizzes
• Added new module on ethics and ethical decision-making
• Added content within modules:
- Aboriginal research
- international/intercultural issues
Disciplines:
Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering,
Humanities
Main messages:
1.It is essential that our graduates understand and
practice what it means to do research with integrity.
2.An RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research) course can
positively change thinking and practice
3.These changes can spread to others
4.An RCR course by itself isn’t sufficient (and if not done
properly, may be ineffective or harmful)
5.“It takes a village” (humans, in culture) to nurture the
next generation of ethical researchers
Acknowledgements
• Jacqui Brinkman, Graduate Studies, UBC
• The UBC James Hogg Research Centre
• CIHR IMPACT Strategic Training Program
www.impacttraining.ca
• Dr. Daniel Vokey, Educational Studies, UBC
• Dr. Michael McDonald and the W. Maurice
Young Centre for Applied Ethics
References
Anderson M et al. (2007) What do mentoring and training in the responsible conduct of
research have to do with scientists’ misbehavior? Findings from a national survey of NIHfunded scientists. Acad Med 82:853-860
Antes AL et al. (2010) Evaluating the effects that existing instruction on RCR has on ethical
decision making. Acad Med 85:519-526
Eastwood S, Derish P, Leash E and Ordway S (1996) Ethical issues in biomedical research:
perceptions and practices of postdoctoral research fellows responding to a survey. Sci Eng
Ethics 2:89-114
Ferguson K et al. (2007) Enhancing the Culture of Research Ethics on University Campuses. J
Acad Ethics 5:189-198
Haidt, J (2001) The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist approach to moral
judgment. Psych Rev 108: 814-834
Kohlberg L and Hersh RH (1977) Moral development: a review of the theory. Theory into
Practice 16:53-59
Powell ST, Allison MA and Kalichman MW (2007) Effectiveness of a responsible conduct of
research course: a preliminary study. Sci Eng Ethics 13:249-264