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Instruction
in Research Ethics:
..
Program
of Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research:
..
The National Institutes
of Health require that, "Every NRSA trainee must receive instruction
in the responsible conduct
of research, and each training grant application must include a
description of the plan
to provide trainees with formal and informal instruction on scientific
integrity and ethical principles
in research. Institutions are encouraged to incorporate this
instruction in the training
of other non-NRSA supported pre- and postdoctoral trainees.
Review of applications lacking
a plan for instruction on the responsible conduct of research
may be delayed until a plan
is provided. There are no specific curriculum or format
requirements for this instruction;
however, conflict of interest, responsible authorship,
policies for handling misconduct,
policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects,
and data management are
areas that are strongly suggested for consideration. The plan
must address the format
and subject matter of the instruction and the frequency and
degree of participation
of the trainees and faculty that are expected to attend. A rationale
for the proposed plan of
instruction must be provided. For competing continuation
applications, progress reports
on the type of instruction provided, the degree of student
participation, and other
relevant information will be required." (PHS-398)
In accord with this requirement,
the department has implemented the following program
for instruction in the responsible
conduct of research. The program is required for all
pre-doctoral students in
Psychology and all NRSA-supported post-doctoral trainees.
It is recommended for all
post-doctoral trainees.
1. Students participate in
a series of lecture-seminars on the responsible conduct of
1.
research.
These lectures are held in the Spring semester in the context of a graduate
1.
course
on research methodology. Students read and discuss a set of articles that
1.
include
the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, the APA
1.
Guidelines
for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals, and additional articles
1.
and
chapters discussing ethical standards and past abuses.
1.
The
specific topics covered in this series include:
a. Research on human subjects:
protocol approval, informed consent, privacy obligations,
a.
debriefing,
physical harm, psychological harm, placebo effects, subject benefits, subject
a.
reimbursements,
deception, anonymity, pseudonyms, data retention, neurological
a.
techniques,
design and analysis, plagiarism, conflict of interest, and cross-national
a.
research.
The class also discusses methods for promoting data-sharing, while still
a.
preserving
informed consent, as well as methods for promoting equitable research
a.
coverage
for women and minorities. It reviews the Pennsylvania child abuse clearance
a.
process
and the need to protect special populations from particular forms of stress
a.
and
abuse.
b. Professional issues:
responsible authorship, prohibitions against multiple parallel
b.
submissions,
prohibitions against repeated publication, ownership of intellectual
b.
property,
scientific integrity, the clinician-patient relationship, mentorship, and
data
b.
management.
c. The use of animals in
research. The basic APA guidelines are discussed. Students who
c.
plan
to conduct work on animals are also required to participate in an in-depth
ethics
c.
review
session conducted each year at the Center for the Neural Basis o Cognition.
d. Finally, the seminar reviews
methods for discerning and discouraging
d.
violations
in ethical standards.
2. All students and researchers
in the department must complete the online
2.
computer-based
training course on the Protection of Human Research Subjects,
2.
developed
by NIH.
3. Each Fall, all incoming
graduate students and postdoctoral researchers participate in
3.
an
Immigration Course. As a part of this course, Susan Shingle, CMU Research
3.
Compliance
Administrator, explains the details of CU's IRB process and Susan Burkett,
3.
Assistant
Provost, explains Federal Grant reporting and administration requirements.
4. There is also an ethics
seminar conducted each semester for researchers wishing to
3.
use
the departmental subject pool. Anyone who plans to conduct behavioral research
3.
during
the year must attend this seminar. At this seminar, the department chair
of the
3.
participant
pool conducts an hour-long discussion of the use of the participant pool.
3.
This
discussion covers the logistics of using the pool, as well as general ethical
issues
3.
regarding
the treatment of participants, debriefing, and the use of deception.
To supplement this core set
of requirements, all students and researchers are encouraged
to participate in a year-long
series of professional development seminars conducted by
Michael Zigmond at the University
of Pittsburgh. This course includes eight sessions held
on Saturdays with four in
the Fall and four in the Spring. Two of the sessions in the Spring
specifically deal with the
responsible conduct of research. The department covers
registration costs for these
two sessions, and attendance is recommended, but not required.
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