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Open debate to create responsible research practice

It draws attention when researchers are caught in deliberate cheating. Researchers falsifying, plagiarising or fabricating results, however, is a rare occurrence. But it is understandable that it is the colourful scandals which pop up in the media when discussing the universities' work to ensure scientific integrity.

21.05.2013 | By Lise Wogensen, Vice-Dean for Research and Talent Development, and Professor M

It is an acknowledged fact in the scientific world that the few researchers who for some reason want to cheat do so, irrespective of control systems. But much can be done to ensure that cheating is exposed and to limit any damage. The way forward is open dialogue on research achievements, visible mentor presence and clear procedures when suspicion is aroused.

In autumn 2012, Aarhus University conducted a survey in the main academic area Health, which showed that many researchers, both new and experienced, are uncertain about how to handle suspected irregularities in the research environment. One problem, for example, is who to ask and where to seek advice in case of doubt about research-related activities. Health has therefore set out to develop a set of guidelines and standards for responsible research practice. The standards are to operationalise the important intentions found in the international conventions and agreements in the area, to enable researchers to utilise the correct principles in their own day-to-day research activities. Specifically, the standards indicate, among other things, when a researcher may reasonably co-author a scientific article and how to keep records as well as the requirements for collecting, processing and storing research results. 

Researchers all over the world are under pressure from many sides by a growing demand for constant production of new and exciting results and for increasing the number of articles published in the best scientific journals. At the universities, researchers' published results are crucial to their careers and to the opportunities for obtaining funding to finance the continued research. The annual public registrations of publications, which have a direct consequence for the state funding allocated to the universities, also contribute to this pressure. Similarly, in industry, there is a direct link between good research results and an enterprise's financial success.

The general public also has a natural interest in responsible research practice and has a right to expect credible research, both as consumers and taxpayers. For members of the public, it is, of course, essential that health science research does not result in a risk of life-threatening treatment due to scientific misconduct. This interest is shared with the grant givers, which have a right to expect that the projects they support financially also generate correct results.

Researchers need the sense of security that comes from knowing, down to the smallest detail, what is right and what is wrong – also in terms of the purely administrative parts of the research. And all researchers would benefit if the requirements for long publication lists could be brought down to a more realistic level, so they can get on in the academic world by only appearing as co-authors of articles to which they have actually made a significant academic contribution.

At Aarhus University, we intend to do more than just writing standards. We will contribute to ensuring that new researchers learn the good principles from day one of their research careers. For this reason, instruction in responsible research practice will be incorporated in the existing degree programmes at Bachelor's degree level, and we are working on finding a more flexible model for access to advice from experienced researchers, who can function as supervisors in relation to this particular aspect. The overriding plan is for the above initiatives and the future debate to place the issue of responsible research practice on the agenda. The aim is for the debate to promote an inspiring and truth-seeking research culture in which the awareness of responsible research practice becomes a natural part of the daily activities.  

 

Health, Alle grupper, Health, Sundhed og sygdom