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Research ethics and integrityResearch ethics and integrity

Etikk og redelighet i forskningen

Siri Granum CarsonProgramme for Applied Ethics, NTNU

NT faculty 27.10.08

Program for anvendt etikk

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Research ethics and integrityResearch ethics and integrity

Topics today:

1) The call for ethics

2) Learning research ethics

3) Laws, codes, and regulations

4) Core questions:

Co-authorship, conflicts of interest, whistle blowing…

Etikk og redelighet i forskningen

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The call for ethicsThe call for ethics

• Media coverage• Scandals• Technology progress

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What is research ethics?What is research ethics?

• Law, ethics, and moral• Professional ethics – societal task• Ethical dilemmas• Two areas:

- Truth commitment

- Agency responsibility

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Learning research ethicsLearning research ethics

• Conventions, codes of coduct,

good scientific practice• Routines, boundries, culture

vs. formal regulations• Social responsibility, openness

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New challenges in New challenges in research ethicsresearch ethics

• Changing ideals? • "Publish or perish”• Contract research

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Incompetence, error, Incompetence, error, dishonesty, dishonesty, deceit, frauddeceit, fraud

Failure in observation basis

Faulty proofs

Wrong analysis

Incorrect presentation of data

Manipulation of data

Plagiarism

Falsification

Fabrication

Incompetence

Fraud

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Laws, codes and regulations – Laws, codes and regulations – a few examplesa few examples

• Declaration of Helsinki (1964-2000):www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm

• Vancouver convention:www.icmje.org

• Law on research ethics (2007): www.etikkom.no/retningslinjer/forskningsetikkloven

• Codes of conduct for responsible science and technology research (2007):www.etikkom.no/retningslinjer/nent

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Ethics and integrity Ethics and integrity in your research areain your research area

• NENT: The national research ethical

committee for science and technology• Codes of conduct, see:

http://www.etikkom.no/retningslinjer/nent

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Check listCheck list

1. Project aim and method

2. Research involving experiments with people

3. Personal data

4. Risk and safety

5. Whistle-blowing – inherent system

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EtikkportalenEtikkportalen• Webpage under construction: www.ntnu.no/etikkportalen• Establishing 10 main areas:

1. The research prosess: Contracts and reporting systems2. Relationship between supervisor and student/research scholar3. Agreements on storage, use, and publication of data4. Approvals and announcements of research projects5. Challenges in interdiciplinary projects 6. Managing conflicts of interest 7. Preventing dishonesty 8. Whistle blowing9. Acceptable and unacceptable relations 10. Transparency

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Conflicts of interestConflicts of interest

Case: NTNU professor

with multiple roles

Question: What is at stake

in constellations like these?

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Whistle blowing and reporting Whistle blowing and reporting routinesroutines

Case: Inadequate working conditions

Question: How should a PhD-student

handle the situation?

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Supervisors (mis)use of student Supervisors (mis)use of student

materialmaterial

Case: Supervisor publishes student’s research results.

Question: Is it possible to explicate the boundries between supervision and scientific contribution? In what cases does a supervisor have the right to use the student’s results?

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Co-authorship and contribution Co-authorship and contribution to publicationsto publications

Case: Student contribution to publication.

Question: What reasons can be

given for the student’s (lack of) right

to demand co-authorship?

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Interdiciplinary projects and Interdiciplinary projects and publicationpublication

Case: Different publication norms in medicine and intechnological diciplines.

Question: How should the PhD student and NTNUproceed in such matters?

Etikk og redelighet i forskningen