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COMP 4101, Practicum - Research Integrity

A guide for students enrolled in COMP 4101 that covers research ethics

Singapore Statement on Research Integrity

The principles and responsibilities set out in the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity represent the first international effort to encourage the development of unified policies, guidelines and codes of conduct, with the long-range goal of fostering greater integrity in research worldwide.

The Statement is the product of the collective effort and insights of the 340 individuals from 51 countries who participated in the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity. These included researchers, funders, representatives of research institutions (universities and research institutes) and research publishers. The Statement was developed by a small drafting committee (listed below); discussed and commented upon before, during and after the 2nd World Conference; and then finalized for release and global use on 22 September 2010.

https://www.wcrif.org/guidance/singapore-statement

Practices Embodying Research Integrity

"For the individual scientist, integrity embodies above all a commitment to intellectual honesty and personal responsibility for one's actions and to a range of practices that characterize responsible research conduct. These practices include:

  • intellectual honesty in proposing, performing, and reporting research;
  • accuracy in representing contributions to research proposals and reports;
  • fairness in peer review;
  • collegiality in scientific interactions, including communications and sharing of resources;
  • transparency in conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest;
  • protection of human subjects in the conduct of research;
  • humane care of animals in the conduct of research; and
  • adherence to the mutual responsibilities between investigators and their research teams."

From: National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assessing Integrity in Research Environments. Integrity in Scientific Research: Creating an Environment That Promotes Responsible Conduct. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2002. 2, Integrity in Research. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK208714/

intellectual honesty = if you know the truth, state the truth

representing contributions= cite them, acknowledge them in text, etc.; see the Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors guidelines by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors for more information about who should count as an author.

conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interesta conflict of interest is a situation where a person's personal interests (financial, familial, or otherwise) could compromise their professional judgment or actions, potentially leading to biased decisions