GalterGuides: Research Integrity Resources: Research Integrity Resources

Ethical Behavior in Research

This guide is meant to provide a general overview ethical behavior in research, including resources at Northwestern University and within the Feinberg School of Medicine. This guide also includes information regarding specific resources licensed by FSM in support of research integrity.

Ethical behavior in research is not only limited to the experimental process as it also applies to publications, scholarly communication and other aspects of research collection and data. Other research ethical issues to consider include:

Authorship
Responsible authorship and contributorship should be practiced. See the International Committee of Journal Editors Guidelines on authorship for ethical guidelines on inclusion/exclusion of "authors".
Openness
Share data, research, methods, and results to the rest of the scientific community and the public. Be open to criticism, suggestions, recommendations, and advice.
Data Management
Includes the reliable and respectful collection and manipulation of data, the ethical handling and maintaining of collected data, data preservation and security (HIPPA Privacy ruling), and the sharing of data and research to the scientific community.
Galter Resources in support of Data Management & Sharing
Fabrication or Falsification
As defined by the Northwestern University Office for Research: "Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them." and "Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record." (Research Misconduct, n.d.)
Objectivity in Research
There is a conflict in the objectivity of research when one's research proposal conflicts with personal (or that of one's family) financial gain. Any potential conflict of interest must be declared or stated in grant proposals or in the publication of research.

Adapted from the Tulane University Ethical Considerations: Research Integrity page and Resnik, D. B. (2011). What is ethics in research and why is it important. Retrieved from http://www.niehs.nih.gov.

Retraction Tracking

Retraction Watch
A reliable website which writes about recent retractions in the scholarly literature. Many articles are retracted from Journals because the authors have displayed evidence of plagiarism.
PubMed - Search by Retraction
You can use the Publication Type filter to refine by "Retracted publication".
Web of Science - Search by Corrected Articles
In the Advanced search choose "Correction" as a document and do a search for Retraction as a Topic. (TS=(retraction)) AND DOCUMENT TYPES: (Correction)

Ethics Policies and Processes

NIH Policy for Handling Research Misconduct Allegations
The many consequences if an individual involved in NIH funded research is found to have committed research misconduct.
COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics
"COPE provides advice to editors and publishers on all aspects of publication ethics and, in particular, how to handle cases of research and publication misconduct"
NSF Office of Inspector General
New Research Misconduct Policies

Research Integrity Resources

Research at Northwestern University

Further Support & Training

Ethical Behavior in Research

Retraction Tracking

Ethics Policies and Processes