Practical Guidance on Science and Engineering Ethics Education for Instructors and Administrators Papers and Summary from a Workshop December 12, 2012 (2013) / Chapter Skim
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Why Teach Research Ethics?--MICHAEL KALICHMAN
Why Teach Research Ethics?--MICHAEL KALICHMAN
Pages 5-16
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supported trainees are provided an opportunity for training in the responsible conduct of research." The Public Health Service (NIH 2000) articulated clear and ambitious goals ("promoting the responsible conduct of research and discouraging research misconduct and questionable research practices through education and awareness")
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the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context Decreased Research Misconduct Although the federal RCR requirements provide limited insight into intended goals or outcomes, there is good reason to believe that they were put in place as a response to research misconduct. In the 1980s, allegations of research misconduct involving top US scientists -- for example, David Baltimore (Kevles 1998)
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Consistent with this goal, Claudia Blair (personal communication, approximately 1996) , former director of the NIH Institutional Affairs Office, noted that an important factor in developing the RCR education requirement was that past NIH trainees reported that they weren't taught key aspects of their responsibilities (e.g., authorship, use of animal and human subjects)
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includes the words "ethics" or "ethical" eight times, in the context of "ethical behavior," "ethical issues," "ethical principles," and "professional ethics." And the 2009 NSF requirement mentions "ethical conduct of research." Arguably both requirements are referencing something more than research misconduct, but it isn't made clear whether the goal of promoting ethics means that the trainees are presumed to have deficits in knowledge, skills, attitudes, or perhaps all three. Success in Meeting Goals Either directly or by inference, a case can be made that the goals of federal RCR requirements include decreased research misconduct, increased responsible conduct of research, and improvements in ethical decision making.
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The proposition that RCR courses might dissuade students from committing research misconduct is problematic in at least two ways. First, statistically speaking it would be an overwhelming task to find evidence of an impact for an individual course because the rate at which cases of research misconduct are reported, investigated, and publicly announced is so low.
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Many studies have successfully demonstrated that teaching students ethical decision making skills can result in statistically significant, positive results (e.g., Bebeau 2002; Bebeau et al. 1995; Mumford et al.
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. Current Goals for RCR Education RCR requirements were likely created in the hope of decreasing research misconduct, but there is no evidence that simply meeting the requirements has had or will have an impact on research misconduct.
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By inference, probably the only consistent goal is to meet the requirements to provide RCR education. Ironically, as noted above, those requirements are rooted in a goal (decreased research misconduct)
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The goal should be something that is feasible. Suggested Principles, Goals, and Outcomes Mindful of the above criteria for goals worth pursuing, taking into consideration past studies of research ethics education outcomes, and reflecting on anecdotal experiences of research ethics teaching, the following are suggested principles, goals, and outcome measures for research and engineering ethics teaching.
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Goals for Trainees Outcomes to be Measured Engage in conversations with peers Time spent in conversations about ethical challenges to and mentors about ethical conduct of science challenges of research and/or engineering Know rules, issues, options, and Ability to identify places, people, and/or other resources to resources for RCR and/or RCE* help in addressing ethical challenges to conduct of science Understand the purpose and value of ethical decision making Have a positive disposition (or at Self-reported disposition to research ethics least not a negative disposition)
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Investigating Research Integrity. Proceedings of the First ORI Research Conference on Research Integrity.
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1992. Reminder and Update: Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research in National Research Service Award Institutional Training Grants.
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