Managing data for integrity: Policies and procedures for ensuring the accuracy and quality of the data in the laboratory

Abstract

Management of the research data is an extremely important responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) and other members of the research team. Without accurate data, no worthwhile conclusions can be drawn from the research study. Integrity in data management is critical to the success of the research group and to public trust in the research outcomes. One of the primary responsibilities of the PI is to provide proper training to the junior members of the lab. This effort can be buttressed by institutional data policies that are implemented at the group level. Extensive and frequent guidance in good research practices by the PI and other senior research staff is critical to the proper training of new scientists.

Developing and Communicating Responsible Data Management Policies to Trainees and Colleagues

“…Scientists should be able to agree upon a number of concepts that can be termed ''best practices.'' While a limited number of universities have formal data management policies, university policies and those of the National Academy of Sciences (reviewed by the Director of the Office of Research Integrity, Chris Pascal (2006)) do have common principles that can provide the foundation for a data management policy of an individual laboratory. This paper is the synthesis of presentations given at a conference on data management.…”

Conference summary: ‘The responsible conduct of basic and clinical research’

“…1 He opined that the public respected 'good' science which he defined as being of high quality, honest, transparent and having integrity. His organisation was set up to act when the quality of science was held to have fallen below these high standards.…”