Fostering a Culture of Research Ethics and Integrity: An Institutional Transformation Project

Research misconduct has negative impacts, including that it reduces trust and the willingness to participate in research. The latter concern has at its core a legacy of past research harms against minorities. To ensure the development of a culture of ethical and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), transparency along with consistent, timely and targeted training is paramount. To that end, Grambling State University, a Historically Black College or University, will implement a transformational Department of Research Ethics and Integrity program. This program will provide valuable instruction on what constitutes RCR as well as other researcher support and training activities that are responsive to the needs of a broad range of researchers. Research Ethics and Integrity program activities include experiential learning opportunities for faculty and their students, and educational resources for the research community at large. The project aims to foster a culture of research integrity through providing essential training that develops RCR skills. The research team aims to discover: (1) whether a comprehensive slate of instruction and professional development activities and resources can promote ethical research practices; (2) what role RCR training plays in developing and fostering ethical behavior and knowledge; and (3) whether a comprehensive training program can have a transformational impact on an academic institution. In addition to exploring topics such as authorship and mentorship, research participants will be asked to examine case study scenarios and other exercises designed to stimulate critical thinking and reflection about ethical challenges that researchers confront. This project employs a mixed methods, participatory evaluation research design to determine the extent to which goals and outcomes are achieved. To evaluate the effects that training activities have on researcher perceptions of their ethical responsibilities, knowledge, and conduct, the team will collect and analyze quantitative data from surveys and other tools that assess and compare attitudes, behavior, values, and competency. Qualitative data will include faculty and student perceptions of the effectiveness and usefulness of the Research Ethics and Integrity program. This project will examine the research environment using the Institutional Research Culture Scale, determine if impacts resulting from ethical violations can be mediated with training through focus groups with community and university stakeholders, and serve as an exemplar of what can effectively create a culture of research ethics and integrity at similar institutions. This project is jointly funded through the ER2 program by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, the Directorate for Biological Sciences, the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and the Directorate for STEM Education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.