Responsible Conduct of Research

2008-09 Program | Schedule of Presentations | Downloadable Brochure

Responsible Conduct of Research became a public policy issue in the early 1980s with the disclosure of cases of misconduct at four major research centers (The Office of Research Integrity - History). This issue has evolved since then and is now recognized as being of national importance. Case reports and discussions have been expanded to include a range of issues from questionable practices up to and including misconduct. A recent study funded by the NIH (B.C. Martinson, M.S. Anderson and R. de Vries. 2005. Scientists Behaving Badly. Nature 435(9):737-738.) reported on an anonymous survey of behaviors considered as questionable. Taken as a whole, one in three responding scientists acknowledged they "had engaged in at least on of the top ten behaviors during the previous three years." Overall, this proportion was statistically higher for mid-career than for early career respondents.

MSU is not immune to such actions and will continue to place a high priority on promoting the responsible conduct of research and academic integrity at all levels and in all disciplines. A key component of the effort to promote the responsible conduct of research, the Offices of the Vice President for Research & Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School join together to offer once again a series of workshops to be presented throughout the academic year. This series is intended to provide specific information about the responsibilities of students, faculty and research staff in conducting research, interacting with others both within and outside defined research groups, and complying with policies and regulations of sponsors and the University. It is designed to stimulate local discussions, complement department activities, and reinforce issues raised by the Research Integrity Newsletter in responding to these needs.

A university-wide task force provided recommendations in late 2003 concerning Research Mentoring that were unanimously endorsed by the University Graduate Council along with an additional four recommendations that were later approved by the Faculty Council. The full report of the Task Force was presented in the Spring 2004 issue of the Research Integrity Newsletter. One of the recommendations of the Task Force is that each graduate degree-granting unit be required to revise their graduate handbooks, incorporating specific "Guidelines for Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Relationships" and "Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities." Implementing this recommendation was and still is a priority for The Graduate School and will be highlighted throughout the 2008-2009 RCR Workshop Programs.

Attendance at this full series will be recognized with a certificate of completion. The series is designed to stimulate discussion and complement other training offered by MSU to comply with requirements for formal training before working on research funded by the Public Health Service. The workshops will be expanded and adapted as appropriate from one year to the next to respond to current issues and needs. This is the case for 2008-2009 to emphasize the guidelines presented by the Research Mentoring Task Force and to stress an emerging emphasis on plagiarism and the importance of responsible conduct for a productive career. Students do not need to attend the full series in the same year in order to receive a certificate of attendance.

Guidance will be provided if there are questions about which programs are intended to replace others.

The 2008-2009 Program

This series responds to graduate student and postdoctoral requests for more information and discussion of ethics and responsible conduct as it impacts on research and scholarship. It will emphasize ethical analysis and problem-solving along with summaries of specific requirements for both students and faculty. It will also highlight best practices to help insure the integrity of not only the research process but also the research findings.

Schedule of Presentations

Investing in Responsibility & Integrity for a Productive Career

Responsible Decision-making in Academic Research: Ethical & Moral Perspectives

Thursday, September 25, 2008
6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Big Ten C, Kellogg Center

Maintaining a Productive & Responsive Environment for Conducting Graduate Research

Personal Responsibility in Conducting Graduate Research & Advancing Your Career

Responsibility to the Subjects of Research: Animals

Responsibility to the Subjects of Research: Humans

Objectivity & Conflicting Interests in Academic Research

Registration is necessary for all workshops

Register by email: gradwrsp@msu.edu; Please include: your name, department, e-mail address, and the names of the session(s) you wish to attend.

Persons with disabilities should contact the Graduate School at 517-353-3231 to request special arrangements no later than one week prior to the session date. Requests received after this date will be met when possible.