Initiative promotes responsible conduct in research

By Lori Wright, Media Relations

Conducting research with integrity and without harm to the subject of investigations always has been an unspoken goal of scholarly activity. Federal rules and regulations increasingly make this requirement mandatory, and recent campus-based activities are trying to make this goal more accessible.

“As an institution of higher education that prides itself on extensive research endeavors and the involvement of undergraduates and graduate students in research projects, UNH has an obligation to teach and actively promote integrity in research and scholarship,” said John Aber, vice president for research and public service.

In partnership with the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) and the vice president’s office, a UNH faculty committee has developed the content of a Web-based instruction program in the responsible conduct of research.

Created by the Instructional Development Center, the Web-based program reviews data management, mentoring, responsible authorship and publication practices, peer review, collaborative research, human subjects protections, research involving animals, misconduct in research and scholarly activity, conflict of interest and commitment, and hazardous materials.

Anyone who intends to conduct research – regardless of the funding source — that involves people or animals must apply for and receive approval before beginning that research. Activities as apparently innocent as conducting interviews or collecting oral histories, fall under federal rules in this area. Other activities in the social or behavioral sciences, including research in history, linguistics or marketing research, as well as field studies, training in research methodologies, and standard husbandry courses involving animals may invoke federal regulations.

The OSR is the arm of the university that oversees the conduct of responsible research, and assists faculty by supporting scholarly activity, serving as steward for externally sponsored programs, promoting accountability, and engaging in outreach to the UNH community.

“Module content helps to bridge the differences among disciplines and their traditions, institutions and their cultures, and individuals and their methodologies. Faculty, staff, and students will benefit from understanding the effects of their decisions and actions when conducting research,” said Julie Simpson, OSR’s manager of research conduct and compliance services.

A graduate student who recently completed several of the modules said, “The program made me aware of a lot of things that I feel I should have been exposed to earlier in my career. While some topics may require actual skills to be taught rather than just awareness, (such as peer review, data management) the module is fantastic in giving a general overview of all aspects of responsible research.” (Modules take between 30 and 60 minutes to complete, and are available at http://www.unh.edu/rcr/.)

Although instruction in research ethics already occurs in many UNH courses, such as research methods classes, further activities are planned for both faculty and students. With support from the Office of the Provost, a new first-year student inquiry course addresses several research ethics areas.

To benefit both faculty and students, the 2004-2005 Saul O. Sidore Memorial Lecture Series will host a series titled “Research and the Public Interest.” Planned topic areas include research and public policy making, balancing the benefits of research with the moral obligations of society, costs of research misconduct, whistle-blowing, the role of research in a democracy, and conflicting issues relating to public and privates interests in research.

For more information on responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity, visit http://www.unh.edu/orps/ or http://www.unh.edu/osr/ or call Simpson at 2-2003.