Beyond Responsible Conduct: Taking Responsibility for the Responsible Conduct of Others

Abstract

A unique Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course was created for Ph.D., M.D., and M.D./Ph.D. postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty at Northwestern University, some of whom had prior RCR training and some of whom did not. The unique feature of the course is its dual focus on learning the core elements of RCR and preparing participants for being responsible for guiding and monitoring RCR behaviors of others. These more advanced but still junior scientists are at a key junction where they are beginning to mentor and supervise others. A second unique element is a required conversation on at least two RCR topics with their current mentors, with a short written report, modeling explicit conversations about RCR prospectively. Overall response has been very positive with a high level of engagement. Formal and informal evaluation feedback reveals how participants see the value of the course and how it has shaped how they intend to guide others in the future. An important goal of the course is to also position high quality RCR and RCR training within the research environment, not just the classroom.

Education and training policies for research integrity: Insights from a focus group study

“…A critical finding of our study is that the implementation of successful RI education is highly dependent on various individual, institutional, and system-of-science factors. These results confirm previous studies that suggest that cultural differences among individuals (Antes et al 2018), supervision (Alfredo and Hart 2011;McGee et al 2014), the institutional research environment (Kalichman 2007;Alfredo and Hart 2011;National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2017;Satalkar and Shaw 2018), and reward and incentive structures in the system-of-science (Marie-Claude 2007; Asai et al 2016) play a crucial role in the uptake and delivery of RI education. This highlights that addressing RI education policies in a vacuum-i.e.…”

Education and training policies for research integrity: Insights from a focus group study

“…Another critical finding of our study is that the implementation of successful RI education is highly dependent on various individual, institutional, and system-of-science factors. These results confirm previous studies that suggest that cultural differences among individuals (17), supervision (35,38), the institutional research environment (12,35,37,39), and reward and incentive structures in the system-of-science (40,41) play a crucial role in the uptake and delivery of RI education. This highlights that addressing RI education policies in a vacuumi.e.…”