Need for concerted efforts to implement research integrity in academic institutions Presented by ANWAR ALI SIDDIQUI The Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan
INTRODUCTION • Research integrity is the coherent and consistent application of values and principles essential to encouraging and achieving excellence in the search for, and dissemination of, knowledge. • Research misconduct is the failure to apply, in a coherent and consistent manner, the values and principles essential to encouraging and achieving excellence in the search for knowledge.
REASONS FOR MISCONDUCT or QRP • Pressure to get results • Pressure to obtain funding or tenure • Increasing complexity of research environment • Inadequate training in proper conduct • Incentivization policies. • Ranking of Universities ?
STUDENTS AS AUTHORS CHALLENGES ADVANTAGES • Tendency to publish confidential • Mentoring that comes close data. with faculty • Eager to publish unsupervised • Experience with team work experiments/data without consent. • Increased understanding of • Tendency to manipulate data and methodology results (if not supervised). • Improved study skills • Confidently including other students name in publications who • Improved skills in time had no role or responsibility in the management work undertaken. • Increased self-confidence • Publishers often publish their work • Improved communication skills without verifying how data was gathered.
UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSIBILITIES Make efforts to create an environment that promotes responsible conduct by individual scientists and fosters integrity and monitor structures, processes, policies, and procedures that: • provide leadership in support of responsible conduct of research; • promote productive interactions between trainees and mentors; • advocate adherence to the rules regarding all aspects of the conduct of research,
RESEARCH MISCONDUCT POLICIES • Responsibilities in most Universities are assigned to administrators of research. • Research integrity or misconduct committees • Research integrity officer. primarily responsible for initiating inquiries, setting up – investigation committees, making timely reports, and handling other matters relating to research misconduct.
CREATE POSITIVE AWARENESS • Conduct research integrity road-shows; • A common policies and principles should be made easily accessible to stakeholders in the research enterprise; • A fair/timely process for resolving research allegations; • A centralized mechanism for information management and research on issues related to research integrity must be in place; • Regularly educate researchers on proactive research integrity.
RESEARCHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS OBLIGATIONS 1. To honor the trust that their institution and sponsors repose on them. 2. To conduct research in a responsible manner. 3. R&A have an obligation to act in ways that serve the public.
ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE UNIVERSITY • A set procedure in place • Policy implementation Research Misconduct – Authorship – Intellectual Property Rights – • Awareness • Mentoring • Appropriate training on handling and retaining the data.
Role of Journal Editors Journal Eitors have a key role to play in ensuring compliance with good research practices as well as detecting and reporting research misconduct. • Editors should work with organizations, such as the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE), and follow their guidelines. • Check for authors affiliation/s • Check for submitters rank/responsibilities (It could be a student, with no knowledge or authorization by the supervisor/PI) • Verify whether other authors have knowledge of this submission. • ERC/IRB approval
GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS • In Pakistan there is a zero tolerance policy on plagiraism • So far no heed is paid to other types of misconducts , QRPS and .. Illustration : David Zinn – ORI: Introduction to Responsible Conduct of Research
PAKISTAN NATIONAL BIOETHICS COMMITTEE • Approved on January 28, 2004 by the Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan. • The committee is multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral in compositions with expertise from medicine and ‘non medical’ individuals. AKU is a member. • The Committee works in accordance with applicable laws and regulations of the country and values and principles of the community it serves.
CONCERTED APPROACH TO RESEARCH INTEGRITY • Inculcate research integrity in the curriculum. • Examine and consolidate existing research policies. • Roles and responsibilities of researchers to be clarified. • Clear actions for dealing with institutional conflicts of interest. • Promotion of best practice standards
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