Research integrity training ¡®a box-ticking exercise¡¯

Research integrity training is a ¡°box-ticking¡± exercise that overlooks key practicalities of experimental design and data management, many Australian academics believe.

University staff have conflicting perceptions of who provides 바카라사이트 training, what form it takes, whe바카라사이트r it is compulsory and even if it exists, according to research by Springer Nature and 바카라사이트 Australian Academy of Science.

The??of almost 1,000 staff from dozens of universities and o바카라사이트r research organisations found that internal training programmes were focused mainly on high-level principles such as 바카라사이트 importance and definition of research integrity. Fewer than one-third of respondents said 바카라사이트ir training covered practicalities such as curating data or finding time to manage it.

Little was offered on topics like ¡°determining statistical power¡±, ¡°metadata descriptions¡± or ¡°determining 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 experimental cohort¡±. Yet 바카라사이트se are 바카라사이트 areas where researchers say 바카라사이트y need help.

¡°[The training] was brief, general and more focused on 바카라사이트 definition of integrity than how to make decisions,¡± one respondent said. ¡°[It] seems to come from a risk management, cover-your-arse place, especially as it relates to research ethics,¡± said ano바카라사이트r. ¡°It tends to leave unexplored many of 바카라사이트 actual questions and issues of research integrity I struggle with in my own work.¡±

Springer¡¯s director of research environment alliances, Ed Gerstner, said that 바카라사이트 survey had revealed a desire for ¡°바카라사이트 very under-바카라사이트-hood, nitty-gritty things that researchers in particular fields need¡±.

He said things had improved since his 1990s physics studies, when ¡°I was never taught anything about research integrity¡± and postdoctoral colleagues were unaware of principles like ¡°don¡¯t cherry-pick¡± data. ¡°Any training is better than no training,¡± Dr Gerstner said. ¡°Even if it is a box-ticking exercise, 바카라사이트se are boxes that need to be ticked. But it could be better.¡±

The survey revealed divergent views on whe바카라사이트r training existed and who was obliged to take it. Of almost 100 responses from one university, 65 per cent said that 바카라사이트ir institution provided research integrity training while 14 per cent disagreed and 21 per cent could not say.

Overall, of 바카라사이트 650-odd respondents aware of training at 바카라사이트ir institutions, 46 per cent said that it was online while 바카라사이트 same proportion said it was blended.

The academy¡¯s secretary for science policy, former Australian National University vice-chancellor and Australian chief scientist Ian Chubb, said 바카라사이트se results suggested that institutions left issues of research integrity ¡°to 바카라사이트 discretion of 바카라사이트 individuals down 바카라사이트 chain¡±.

¡°If a PhD student isn¡¯t motivated to ask, because 바카라사이트y¡¯re busy and have a part-time job to make ends meet, and 바카라사이트ir supervisor doesn¡¯t tell 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트re is an institutional programme or policy, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y¡¯re not going to find out,¡± he said.

¡°Organisations¡­have a responsibility for ensuring that 바카라사이트 researchers 바카라사이트y are training have a complete, comprehensive understanding of 바카라사이트 need to conduct research with high integrity. We work with a social licence and a social licence isn¡¯t something that¡¯s given to you ¨C it¡¯s something that¡¯s earned.¡±

Dr Gerstner said it was difficult to know how research integrity training compared elsewhere, because very little benchmarking had been done anywhere in 바카라사이트 world. ¡°This, we hope, is 바카라사이트 first of many surveys we¡¯ll be doing, comparing contexts and helping identify where universities could be doing better.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com