Why university research ethics committees are vital
In this post Daniel Sokol writes about a troubling research integrity/human research ethics case that relates to Poland, the UK and Australia.
Daniel SokolÂ
When I sat on the Ministry of Defence’s Research Ethics Committee, some research projects were potentially dangerous. The risks of testing a new piece of military diving equipment, for example, are obvious. If it malfunctions, the volunteer could drown or suffer brain damage. The risks of historical research can be more subtle but they are nonetheless real, as shown by a recent case involving the University of Warwick.
Dr Anna Hájková, an associate professor of modern continental European history, researches the queer history of the Holocaust. She claimed that a Jewish prisoner may have engaged in a lesbian sexual relationship with a Nazi guard in Hamburg in 1944.
After the war, the prisoner worked as an actress and emigrated from…
Questionable publishing practice? Are you harmed?
Antony Ley (Information Policy Officer at Griffith University) & Gary Allen When considering whether a journal publisher is legitimate, researchers
The Ethics and Politics of Qualitative Data Sharing
Mark Israel (AHRECS and Murdoch University) and Farida Fozdar (The University of Western Australia). There is considerable momentum behind the
The research use of online data/web 2.0 comments
Does it require research ethics review and specified consent? Dr Gary Allen AHRECS Senior Consultant The internet is a rich
The F-word, or how to fight fires in the research literature
Professor Jennifer Byrne | University of Sydney Medical School and Children’s Hospital at Westmead At home, I am constantly
Consumer Co-design for End of Life Care Discharge Project
In this issue, we are publishing an account of an end-of-life project in whose design there are some features that
Ten ways of ensuring affordable professional development in your institution
Research institutions have a responsibility under the Australian Code to ‘Provide ongoing training and education that promotes and supports responsible research
Get access to some great resources (two examples included in this post) and support events like the Constructive Voices panels
Every month we add at least two items to the subscribers’ area. These include vignettes and other resources to use
Categories
Featured posts
The trouble with circRNAs- are researchers going around in circles?
In this very interesting post, Professor Jennifer Byrne (University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health, NSW Health Pathology) looks at the mistakes being made in circRNAs papers, even in high-profile, supposedly high-quality and distinguished publications.
She reflects on what might be the cause of those mistakes, why they are a big deal what could be the consequences.
Why is it that honest researchers make such a serious mistake?
Is a sign of lack of experience, insight and knowledge? Or is it an indication something far more dubious and questionable?
This very accessible post does a great job of explaining complex genetic concepts in lay terms.
This points to the need for research institutions and research publishers to have sufficient expertise in the topic, to truly understand circRNAs and reagents.
When is research not research?
Most institutions have processes for differentiating between Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) activities and those
Research Ethics: The Journal
We note that the journal, Research Ethics, is now Open Access. https://journals.sagepub.com/description/rea
Research Ethics is aimed at all readers and authors interested in ethical issues in the conduct of research, the regulation of research, the procedures and process of ethical review as well as broader ethical issues related to research such as scientific integrity and the end uses of research. The journal aims to promote, provoke, host and engage in open and public debate about research ethics on an international scale but also to contribute to the education of researchers and reviewers of research…
All articles in Research Ethics are published as open access. There are no submission charges and no Article Processing Charges as these are fully funded by institutions through Knowledge Unlatched, resulting in no direct charge to authors.
Hints for Using Worked Examples in Training Sessions
Training sessions for new ethics committee members and new researchers frequently use a completed