Good Research Practice Other Roles of the Researcher Fang Mao, Department of Chemistry-Ångström Mi Wang, Department of EBC Getachew Kebede, Department.

Good Research PracticeOther Roles of the Researcher

Fang Mao, Department of Chemistry-Ångström Mi Wang, Department of EBCGetachew Kebede, Department of Chemistry-Ångström Aleksandra Denisova, Department of Chemistry-BMCErika Billinger, Department of Chemistry-BMC

2015-09-10

1. The supervisor and Postgraduate supervision

The tasks of the supervisor•Define a suitable thesis project •Draw up an individual study plan •Test doctoral student’s ideas•Discuss and comment on methods, results and interpretation •Provide encouragement and constructive critism•Ensure no circumstances arise that could jeopardize the relationship

between supervisor and PhD student

Potential problems•A risk project that can’t get enough acceptable achievement for graduation•The process maybe not follow with the study plan•Offer too little flexibility for student’s own idea•Not enough time to discuss or comments on methods, results and interpretation•Don’t care the student's feeling•Bad relationship between the supervisor and the student

Supervisor has a responsibility to create conditions that will help to develop the doctoral student’s knowledge and skills

1. Whose idea?In discussions between supervisor and PhD student, different arguments and approaches are tested and views and ideas exchanged. Sometimes it is also important to consider how justice can best be done to the two parties’ constributions as the work continues and the results are published.

These are important: In the thesis PhD student clarify any contributions by others, including his/her

supervisor If the supervisor uses or develops on ideas from the student, he/she should

consult with the student and not conceal their origins Ideas which supervisor suggests to PhD student for further investigation,

however, do not thereby become the student’s property The supervisor must be able to continue to work on these ideas in his/her own

research withou jeopardizing the student’s work.

1. The thesis and its presentation Goal of the PhD student: dissertation

Complete&

public

Supervisor

examiner

community

Factors financial

considerations future prospects completion time personal wishes• supervisor’s wishes,

see a postgraduate gain PhD ASAP

• collect “PhD points” for the department.

1. Responsibility for ethical and legal compliance

Ethical and legal rules vary depending on research Supervisor should consequently keep abreast with relevant

documents E.g. in medical research:

– terminated if patients or healthy subjects suffer unexpected harm

– the ratio of risk to benefit is not consistent with the risk-benefit assessment

Combining teaching and research.

Both the teacher and the students are beneficiaries.

Image from http://www.nec.com/en/global/community/resources/teachers.html

2. The teacher

The teachers should follow the ethical rules set by

Yrkesetiska riktlinjer för universitetslärare, 2005.

3. Assessing applications and proposals

Researchers are frequently called upon to review

colleagues’ research proposals

Accepting invitations vs. conflict of interest

Consult organizations, for example, the Swedish Research

Council (2006) concerning how to resolve conflict of

interest

4. Reviewing manuscripts for publication: problems

Stealing ideas , ”sitting on” manuscripts, then publishing results by

their own groups

Preventing the publication without any cause

Unknown identities of reviewers, but known of authors

Lack of willing and competent reviewers, but the amount of

manuscripts under review is big

4. Reviewing manuscripts for publication:

solution to the problems

Control of reviewers and papers under revision: quick submition of

reports, references to the source

Double-blind or entirely open system

Valuable benefits for reviewers: enlisting not only willing but also

competent reviewers

5. Committee work

Involved in decisions and appraisals concerning other people's research

Important to make every effort to be independent of their own research community

and affiliations, to avoid showing special favour to their own discipline, university or

department, colleagues or students.

Seen by colleagues as ”the representative of their discipline”

Open discussion about what membership of an given committee entails. – They represents the entire research community if no other terms have been

specified. – Appointments to committees of this kind are to be regarded as positions of

trust

5. Committee work

Important to remember that you represents the whole research

community whether you like it or not.

Usually appointed because you represent a certain desired area of

expertise, consequently, the researcher has responsibility

The membership should not result in lending scientific legitimacy to a

company’s operations or production. The task is to communicate the

results and possibilities of research, without exaggeration or concealment.

Thank you!