The Paper, the Publishers, the Protagonist, and The Academic Setting Dr Jane Jacobs, Director Office Research Ethics and Integrity Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane The changing face and future of publication ethics - COPE 2017
The Paper, the Publishers, the Protagonist, and The Academic Setting
DrJaneJacobs,DirectorOfficeResearchEthicsandIntegrityQueenslandUniversityofTechnology,Brisbane
Thechangingfaceandfutureofpublicationethics- COPE2017
“Academicresearch,includingthetaskofpublishingitsfindings,takesplaceinahighlycomplexsocio-technicalsystem(CSS),whichinvolvesseveraldynamicallyinteractingagents(e.g.authors,publishers,reviewers,regulators,fundingagencies,subjectsoftheresearch,andUniversities,amongothers).”
Tarcisio Abreu Saurin,2016
QueenslandUniversityofTechnology|Theprismoftoday’spresentation
Top300universitiesglobally2016AcademicRankingofWorldUniversities(ShanghaiJiaoTong)
7th inAustraliaforQSGraduateEmployability
Top50ofuniversitiesunder50yearsoldTimesHigherEducation150Under50
8 Rhodesscholarssince1998;5since2010
AveragePhDcompletiontimelessthan4years
InternationalHDRenrolmentsrisen5%between2011and2016
• Biomedicalengineeringandhealthtechnologies• Biomolecularscience• Chronicdiseaseintervention• Creatingandcapturingvaluefromnewtechnology• Datascience,computationalmodellingandsimulationscience• Digitalmedia• Educationforbetteroutcomes• Healthsystems• Injurypreventionandmanagement• Materialsscienceandengineering• Plantbiotechnology• Roboticsandcomputervision• Technology,regulationandsociety
QUT:auniversitywithaspirations
• Thesystemisgenerallyselfregulating
• Selfreportingessentialunderfundingagreementconditionswhenmisconductinresearchpractices(includingpublicationissues)areconfirmed
• ThetwomajornationalfundingagenciesissueguidanceandpolicyforRRP
• Institutionsanduniversitiesareresponsibleforinitiatingandconductinginvestigations
• Thefundingagenciestakenoroleintrainingandeducation.Thisislefttoorganisations
• Researchmisconductisnotreportedinthepublicdomain,butde-identifiedreportingisencouraged
ResponsibleresearchpracticeinAustralia
Institutionsarerelianton:
• Selfreportingofpublicationerror/s
• Reportingbyothers,i.e.researchers,co-authors,otherinstitutionsandorcommunitymembers
• ReportingonBlogsitessuchasRetractionWatchorPubPeer
• Fundingagencieswhoreceiveacomplaintorinformationabouta‘questionablepaper’.
Thesourceineffectdictatesinstitutionalprocess
The Paper
• Theliteraturegivesussomeusefulpointers- hintsaboutthecharacteristicsofthoseresearchersmorelikelytosubmita‘questionablepublication’• Weunderstandthepressurestopublish,althoughthisnotionismorelikelytobeconfoundedbysituationalandorculturalfactors• Weunderstandthedemandforgreatertransparencyandaccountabilitytoensurethatresearcherspracticetheircraftwithintegrity• Weknowthattheemergingemphasisontrans-disciplinaryresearchchallengesresearchersthatdon’thaveatraditionoftrans-disciplinarycollaboration• Weknowerrorscangenuinelyoccurforarangeofreasons,otherthendeliberate,negligentorrecklessintention.
The Protagonist
• Diversityofpublishingpracticesacrossdisciplinesandjournals• Ahierarchyofcontactpointsthatcanbedifficulttonavigatewhichfromtimetofeelsdeliberatelyimpenetrable!• Thereareinternationalstandardsforeditorswhichlookandfeelgood!• Whenitcomestocorrectingthepublicrecordourrespectiveprocessesmayfromtimetotimerubinoppositedirections
The Publisher
• Culturalnarrativeonpublicationethics,leadfromthefront• Guidelinescraftedaroundresponsibleresearchpractices• Onlineresourcestoaccommodatedifferentmediausage• Postpublicationresponsibilities– andwhyitmatters• Publicationandauthorshiptraining• Encouraginguseoforiginalitysoftwarepriortopublication• Bespoketrainingpost-integrityevents• Monitoringofresearchapprovedbyanethicscommittee• Dosometargeted“stuff”whenneeded
The Academic Setting
• Post-investigation,correctionofthepublicrecordisanimperative.
• fromaninstitutionalperspective– reputation,integrityofreportedresearch,andtrustbyfunders• Needstooccurinthetimelymanner,toavoidongoingre-agitationofpublicationissues
• Managingtheprivacyandconfidentialityofrespondents– oftenatoddstothedemandsofcomplaintsandorinprovidingthedetailsofaninvestigationoutcometopublishers• Collateraldamagemanagementforco-authorswhichmightincludeearlycareerresearchers,HDRstudents,collaboratorsandfunders.
The Academic Setting – Priorities
ThenewCOPEandinstitutionalmembershiparrangementpresentsanopportunitytodevelopandroadtestacooperativeworkflowmodelwhichidentifieskeydecisionpointsandprocesses.
Thiscouldextendtoaninternationalcollaborationwithinstitutionalmembersandintegrityorganisations(nationalororganisationbased– i.e.ORI,ARIC,Tri-Agency,UKRIO).
Developajointstatementofstandardsformanagingpublication,retractionsandcorrections.
Howmightwecollectivelychangethefutureofpublicationethics?
Wewantthesamething:publicationintegrity