Need for concerted efforts to implement research integrity in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Presented by ANWAR ALI SIDDIQUI The Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan

Need for concerted efforts to implement research integrity in academic institutions

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

ADVANTAGES

• Mentoring that comes close

with faculty

• Experience with team work
• Increased understanding of

methodology

• Improved study skills
• Improved skills in time

management

• Increased self-confidence
• Improved communication skills

CHALLENGES

• Tendency to publish confidential

data.

• Eager to publish unsupervised

experiments/data without consent.

• Tendency to manipulate data and

results (if not supervised).

• Confidently including other

students name in publications who had no role or responsibility in the work undertaken.

• Publishers often publish their work

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

• ther matters relating to research misconduct.

• 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.

CREATE POSITIVE AWARENESS

RESEARCHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS OBLIGATIONS

1. To honor the trust that their institution and sponsors repose

• n 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.

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

Role of Journal Editors

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

• In Pakistan there is a zero

tolerance policy on plagiraism

• So far no heed is paid to
• ther 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