Research Ethics

Programme Details

Rational

Research ethics is a hot topic. Conducting research is a fascinating but challenging activity that involves very different ethical issues, such as bias, fraud, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, falsification of research results, informed consent, attribution of authorship and adequacy of peer review publication processes. Through a combination of theory and practice, during this course students will critically analyse research ethics topics and case studies and learn how to manage and evaluate a research project, all the way from design to publication, from an ethical standpoint. Importantly, during this dynamic course, students will also be encouraged to reflect on the impact of new technologies and social trends on research ethics and discuss their ideas on how to build adequate codes of conduct to regulate research activity. By understanding and critically debating research ethics-specific issues, students will assimilate the importance of scientific integrity while acquiring key reasoning skills that will significantly increase the scientific quality and impact of their future research.

Syllabus

1. – Ethics and the Law
2. – Fundamentals of Ethics and Research Ethics
3. – The Evolution of Research Ethics – paradigmatic cases
4. – Scientific Misconduct (falsification, fabrication and plagiarism)
5. – Conflicts of Interests, Authorship and Publication Biases
6. – Ethical Planning and Conduction of a Research Project

Learning outcomes

By the end of the Curricular Unit the students will be able to:

1. – identify ethical principles and distinguish ethics from legal normativity;
2. – identify the global context of research ethics;
3. – understand and critique relevant research ethics subjects, which include scientific misconduct (falsification, fabrication and plagiarism), data protection, informed consent, conflicts of interest as well as authorship, collaboration and publishing-specific challenges;
4. – analyze and critically debate key research ethics dilemmas through the study of paradigmatic case-studies;
5. – manage and evaluate a research project from an ethical standpoint.

References

• The Student’s Guide to Research Ethics (Open Up Study Skills). Paul Oliver. Open University Press (2003)
• On Being a Scientist – A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research. National Academies Press (2008)
• Fraud and Misconduct in Biomedical Research. Frank Wells and Michael Farthing. The Royal Society of Medicine Press (2008)
• Principles of Biomedical Ethics. Tom L. Beauchamp, James F. Childress. Oxford University Press (2009)
• Research Ethics in the Real World: Issues and Solutions for Health and Social Care Professionals. Tony Long, Martin Johnson. ELSEVIER (2006)
• 100 Cases in Clinical Ethics and Law. Carolyn Johnston, Penelope Bradbury. Oxford University Press (2008)