Responsible research practices

Overview and research

Simon Bain of the ANU Office of Research Integrity suggests that, in general terms, responsible conduct in research is good citizenship applied to professional life. Researchers who report their work honestly, accurately, efficiently, and objectively are on the right path towards responsible conduct of research. Responsible research is encouraged and guided by the research culture of the organisation. A strong research culture will demonstrate:

Honesty and integrity and respect for human research participants, animals and the environment
Good stewardship of public resources used to conduct research
Appropriate acknowledgment of the role of others in research
Responsible communication of research results.

Specific considerations that apply to responsible research practice are:

Management of research data and primary materials
Supervision of research trainees
Publication and dissemination of research findings
Authorship
Peer review
Conflicts of interest
Collaborative research across institutions

In recent years the media has bought to public attention an increasing number of cases of research misconduct both overseas and in Australia, and such misconduct has considerable potential to damage the reputation of an institution when exposed. Examples of research misconduct are:

Fabrication of results
Falsification or misrepresentation of results
Plagiarism
Misleading ascription of authorship
Failure to declare and manage serious conflicts of interest
Falsification or misrepresentation to obtain funding
Conducting research without ethics approval as required by the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, the Australian Code of Practice, for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, or in contravention of the Gene Technology Act (2000) and related legislation.
Risking the safety of human participants, or the wellbeing of animals or the environment
Wilful concealment of research misconduct by others

Considerably more detail re the responsible conduct of research is contained in:

The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

The US Office of Research Integrity Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research

[Thanks to Simon Bain in the ANU Office of Research Integrity for the above].

Ideas and tools

There is some excellent information available on copyright from the Open Access to Knowledge (OAK) Law Project. The OAK Law project is developing legal protocols for managing copyright issues in an open access environment.

The Vancouver Protocol is used as a basis for many policies on authorship. While it specifcally relates to biomedical research journals many of the principles are relevant to many disciplines.

ANU information

The ANU provides 10 Tips to students on how to avoid plagiarism

ANU policy on Responsible Practice of Research

Academic Skills and Learning Centre online info on academic honesty, correct referencing and citation, reading techniques and note taking and time management

Strategies and solutions for staff regarding plagiarism

The ANU Office of Research Integrity promotes the responsible conduct of research through a process of education regarding the ANU's relevant policies and the Australian Code for the Conduct of Research and is responsible for the:

Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee
Human Research Ethics Committee
Recombinant DNA Committee (Institutional Biosafety Committee)

ANU copyright information

ANU Intellectual Property (IP) and Patent policy

Attributing appropriate authorship

ANU Procedures for Dealing with Allegations of Misconduct in Research

For College-specific information contact:

College of Engineering & Computer Science

College of Law

College of Arts and Social Sciences

College of Asia & the Pacific

College of Business & Economics

College of Medicine and Health Sciences

Alternatively, contact the College Associate Dean (HDR) for more general college information.