Research Integrity:
Collaborative
Research
Michelle Stickler, DEd
Office for Research Protections
814-865-1175
mmc115@psu.edu
www.research.psu.edu
Reasons to Collaborate
Complexity of research
 Funding opportunities
 Ease of communications

Potential Challenges
Different personalities / styles
 Different research practices
 Compliance considerations
 Intellectual property

Keys to Successful Collaboration
from Macrina, F. Scientific Integrity: An Introductory Text with Cases. Second Edition.
American Society for Microbiology Press. 2000.

COMMUNICATION! Discuss:
 Responsibilities
 Publication
and authorship
 Data and materials
 Intellectual property
Keys to Successful Collaboration
from Macrina, F. Scientific Integrity: An Introductory Text with Cases. Second Edition.
American Society for Microbiology Press. 2000.

COMMUNICATION! Discuss:
 Responsibilities
 Publication
and authorship
 Data and materials
 Intellectual property
Responsible Authorship
What to publish
 Proper citation
 Authorship credit and responsibility

What to Publish

New and substantial findings or analysis
 Avoid
salami publication (LPU/MPU)
 Avoid duplicate submission & publication

Objective and unbiased
 Avoid
misleading claims
 Clearly and openly describe methods
 Use statistics appropriately and accurately
 Acknowledge limitations
Scenario
From Ethics and Policy in Scientific Publication (1990), Council of Biology Editors,
Inc., Bethesda, MD, p. 70.
A researcher reports on his work in a controlled circulation,
or “throwaway”, newsletter produced and distributed free by
a professional society in the field. He writes a similar report
and submits it to a peer-reviewed journal. The report in the
newsletter is already being cited in the peer-reviewed
literature. The editor of the journal rejects the paper on the
grounds that the material has already been published,
citing rules and arguments regarding duplicate publication.
The author states that the earlier report did not constitute
publication, because the throwaway newsletter was not
peer-reviewed, not generally available through libraries,
and not indexed and abstracted by secondary services.
Discussion Questions
What constitutes prior publication?
 How do you define “throwaway”
publication in your discipline?
 Does the author have a valid argument?
 Is duplicate publication ever acceptable?

Proper Citation

Adequately and accurately cite literature
 Include
adequate references to document
ideas
 Verify that referenced works are consistent
with the ideas and information credited to
them
 Cite original sources
 Check the accuracy of citations
Discussion Question

Should you acknowledge (and cite) prior
“research” published in a “throwaway”
publication or white paper?
Keys to Successful Collaboration
from Macrina, F. Scientific Integrity: An Introductory Text with Cases. Second Edition.
American Society for Microbiology Press. 2000.

COMMUNICATION! Discuss:
 Responsibilities
 Publication
and authorship
 Data and materials
 Intellectual property
Responsible Data Management






Data Selection: experimental design, protocol
submission, approval by institutional committee(s)
Data Collection: ensuring quality & avoiding bias,
adequate recordkeeping
Analysis & Selection: statistical analyses, criteria for
including & excluding data
Data Ownership: responsibility and rights for collection,
use, and sharing
Data Retention: duration, security, and accessibility
Sharing of Data: what to share, when, and with whom
Data Collection
How will data be recorded; what
conventions?
 Are all personnel trained to use
instruments?
 Have QA measures been implemented?
 Has QC process been identified?

Quality Assurance
Detailed list of data items to be collected
 Step-by step instructions for administering
instruments, making adjustments to, and
calibrating instruments
 Process for training all research personnel
 Mechanism for documenting changes in
procedures

Quality Control

Errors requiring prompt action:
 Errors
in individual data items
 Systematic errors
 Violation of protocol
 Problems with staff or site performance
 Research misconduct
Improper Data Collection:
Consequences
Inability to answer research questions
accurately
 Inability to repeat or validate the study
 Distorted findings = wasted resources
 Misleading to other scholars
 Compromise decisions for public policy
 Causing harm to human participants

Scenario

Discuss the “Lazy Students” case
Data Handling

Be sure to consider:
 Who
has access to which data
 Data handling procedures
 Plan for long-term storage & disposal
Scenario

Discuss the “Data Gone Astray” case
Data Analysis

Come to agreement on:
 Missing
data points
 Outliers
 Presenting
derived vs. raw data
 Reporting significant and insignificant results

Train data raters to reduce inconsistencies
Keys to Successful Collaboration
from Macrina, F. Scientific Integrity: An Introductory Text with Cases. Second Edition.
American Society for Microbiology Press. 2000.

COMMUNICATION! Discuss:
 Responsibilities
 Publication
and authorship
 Data and materials
 Intellectual property
Data Sharing

Factors influencing the decision to share:
 Proprietary,
economic, or security concerns
 Providing all materials needed
 Technical obstacles
 Confidentiality
 Concerns about qualifications of data requesters
 Costs associated with sharing
Data Sharing

Recommendations:
 Pre-publication
– open data policy with appropriate
caution
 Willingness to share data post-publication with other
researchers within reason
Communication = Successful
Research = Quality Research!