Research Integrity
With busy schedules, when a mandatory course requirement pops up in your inbox, most of us are not overspilling with excitement.
However this one is different, I signed up for the Research Integrity course at BCU and I can’t believe I am enjoying it so much to the point that it really was the best decision.
It is a hefty course that consists of 13 modules.
I have only completed the first 2 modules (Responsible Research Practice and Irresponsible Research Practice) but am enthusiastic to say the least about progressing onto the remainder of the course which covers all of the stages of the research cycle finishing off with research supervision and mentorship.
In Module 1 I learnt about The Concordat to Support Research Integrity which all members of the UK research community need to adhere to for meeting the high standards of rigour and integrity.
The module explains the difference between ethics and integrity.
It covers discipline specific responsibilities, institutional responsibilities and public responsibilities at a government level.
Cudos to the course designers for providing a course which enables active participation through the use of case studies, activities and finishing off with a Quiz with a passing score of 80%!!
They practice what they preach by providing a list of reference sources which have been used in the course design 😊
Module 2 Irresponsible Research Practice provided that much needed balanced view.
This module highlighted the difference between questionable research practice and misconduct.
It provides guidance on what questions a researcher should ask in order to avoid irresponsible practices.
The module spends some time on discussing the serious impact of Irresponsible research practices.
Finally what mechanisms are in place to report irresponsible behaviour in research so that it can be investigated and handled in the correct manner rather than turning a blind eye to it.
I am proud to say that I achieved 100% on this quiz in my first attempt 😊 which is much better than my 80% on the Module 1 Quiz which took several attempts.
Stay tuned for insights from the rest of the course as I progress.
I would be interested to hear about your experiences of a course that was so clear and really made the penny drop for you.
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