Bottom-up workshops have laid a foundation for responsible research, but institutions must add structural support.
For seven years, young researchers in Malaysia have been organizing workshops on responsible research conduct. We have reached more than 1,000 people at home and elsewhere, including Thailand, Switzerland and the United States.
Research integrity professional development can be dry and uninteresting, but it doesn’t have to be. It can rely on the language of compliance and enforcement, but that isn’t the way to embed it into practice. A hearty HUZZAH! to these researchers for formulating this approach focused upon research practice.
When I was a graduate student and postdoc in the United States, RCR training tended to be shallow discussions with few practical applications. A mandatory course merely called for me to read some material and answer a few questions. But for best practices to take root, researchers need more than rote knowledge. They need to believe these practices are important, and to be able to make ethical decisions that apply to their particular situation.