Professor Ebba Nexø is taking another stint as Health's special advisor on responsible conduct of research. Professor Henrik Toft Sørensen is a new alternate.

2018.08.21 | Henriette Stevnhøj

Former consultant in clinical biochemistry, Professor, DMSc Ebba Nexø has been re-appointed for another period as special adviser. Her task is to ensure there is an honest and responsible research culture at Health. Professor, DMSc Henrik Toft Sørensen from the Department of Clinical Epidemiology steps in as alternate. He replaces Professor Michael Wæth.

Since the scheme with special advisers was introduced in 2015 as part of the university's strategy for good scientific practice, Ebba Nexø has received a couple of enquiries a month from researchers at Health. Most of the enquiries are attempts to guard against making mistakes and questions about authorship and rights to data. Generally, the enquiries revolve around questionable scientific practice, says Ebba Nexø.

"This could be a researcher who feels pressured to include a co-author in a publication when they don’t think that person ought to be a co-author. By the time I get involved, the situation can be so deadlocked that work on the article has stopped and the publication is on the back burner. Then it’s my job to get people to discuss the situation sensibly. I can give advice and be someone they can discuss the situation with. As a rule, they find a good solution. It’s only if I get a case where a solution cannot be found, and where there is a suspicion of research misconduct, that I pass it on. And that’s not happened yet," says Ebba Nexø.

A meaningful function

In her experience, her involvement alone is enough to calm disputes. Her offer to mediate in person often resolves a deadlocked situation without her even being specifically involved. This confirms to her that the system with special advisers makes sense.

"The scheme is a contingency plan that typically comes into play when there is doubt and before there is any actual violation of good scientific practice," says Ebba Nexø.

She does not have the full overview of how the cases end or whether some of them end up with the Research Practice Committee or to the Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, which replaced the Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty on 1 July 2017.

"My role is to provide a confidential ear, advise and offer my services as a mediator, but I don’t have a right to know how the cases end," says Ebba Nexø.

Teaching will replace queries

She expects to be less busy in her role of special advisor. Queries about rules of conduct will ebb out as an increasing number of supervisors and PhD students receive teaching about responsible conduct of research. Nevertheless, she believes that the role is important.

"That’s how it works; we work towards not needing to use these kinds of options, but as soon as they are required, it’s important that they are available," says Ebba Nexø.

 

Special advisers at Health

Professor, DMSc Ebba Nexø (born 1943); Consultant, professor and chair in clinical biochemistry at Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University until 2014. Since then, she has been affiliated with the Department of Clinical Medicine as professor with special responsibilities (MSO). She has been a member of the Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty (DCSD) under the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and also chair of the Danish Medical Research Council, as well as holding other honorary offices.

Professor, DMSc Henrik Toft Sørensen (born 1956) is head of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at the Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital. Henrik Toft Sørensen has authored publications on good PhD supervision and the importance of training junior researchers in accountability and in ensuring research integrity, particularly in connection with the handling of personal data.

Both Ebba Nexø and Henrik Toft Sørensen hold courses in responsible conduct of research for the PhD students.

 

Find out more about Aarhus University’s guidelines.

Contact:

Professor, DMSc Ebba Nexø

Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine 
Mobile: (+45) 4046 5954
Email: enexo@clin.au.dk

Professor, DMSc Henrik Toft Sørensen

Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine 
Tel.: (+45) 8716 8215
Email: hts@clin.au.dk