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Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Ethics Course Requirements for Postdoctoral Trainees Fall 2006
University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

1. Attend the two lectures on research integrity and ethical issues. To receive credit, sign the attendance sheet that will be available in the lecture hall. Written response to questions may be required.

Lectures: Friday, November 17 AND Monday, November 20, 2006
12:00 – 1:30 PM in D1.602 (south campus)
Note: you may bring your lunch

2. Each lab should devote a lab meeting to discuss case studies that explore aspects of research integrity. To meet this course requirement, you shall lead or participate in such a discussion. To document completion of this aspect of the course, you should request that your advisor email Cathy Cavins at Cathy.Cavins@UTSouthwestern.edu and give the date of the meeting. Ethics case studies are available online:
http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/ethics/CMBcourse2005-2006.htm and http://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/montana_round1/issues.html

3. Attend at least one Ethics Grand Rounds, selected for relevance. http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/ethics/courses.htm. To receive credit, sign the attendance sheet that will be available. The sessions relevant to most research postdocs are held on Oct. 10 (Assessing the Effectiveness of Bioethics Education: Findings from Empirical Studies), Nov. 14 (Rethinking Research Ethics”), and Dec. 12 (A Family Resemblance: The Roles of Mentors in Biomedical Career Choices). Noon – 1 PM in D1.602 (south campus).

4. Plagiarism
The educational publisher Prentice Hall has developed a web site that addresses the definition of plagiarism, rules for avoiding plagiarism, proper methods of attribution and recommendations for quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing source material: http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_understand_plagiarism_1/0,6622,427064-,00.html. There are a series of lessons; the first four are followed by a quiz. The completion of these exercises is intended to help you avoid errors in attribution that could lead to serious academic consequences. To receive credit for this course, complete the quizzes and use the email function to send results to Cathy.Cavins@utsouthwestern.edu

5. Each laboratory should have written policy on authorship; if your lab does, read it. If yours does not, consult with your mentor to write one and discuss with your lab group. Suggested reading: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication http://www.icmje.org/

6. Each laboratory should have a written policy on how to keep a notebook. If yours does, read it and discuss updating with your mentor. For example, does the policy address manipulation of image data? If your lab does not have a written policy, consult with your mentor to write one and discuss with your lab group. An optional checklist to aid in developing policy is provided below.

Checklist Guide to Help Develop Notebook Policy

The primary data notebook
Must be bound
May be bound or loose leaf
Shall be saved for at least
20 years after the expiration of all patent, trademarks, and copyrights (UTSW policy)
5 years after completion of the project (UTSW policy for funded medical research)
5 years if unfunded (UTSW policy for medical research)
3 years after submission of annual Financial Status Report (NIH Policy)
Shall stay on campus
Always
Except to take off campus for:
Entering protocols or conclusions
Consultation for writing paper
Other reason specified: _____________________
Entries shall made contemporaneously in:
Ink only?
Pencil OK?
Shall include all data (positive, negative and “bad”) and errors specified

Each experiment shall be

Dated
Numbered
Indexed in front of notebook
Cross-referenced to computer files, such as those for images
Cross-referenced with collaborator’s notebook if joint experiment?
Divided separate sections
Purpose
Written before conduct of experiment
Protocol
Written before conduct of experiment
Results
Conclusions
Include lot numbers of reagents
Isotopes
Enzymes

Policy on Image Data
Photographs, x-ray film shall be labeled to include
date
experiment number
exposure time
sample identification
identification of bands

Suggestion for reading and discussion at lab meeting: “What’s in a picture? The temptation of image manipulation”. by Mike Rossner and Kenneth M. Yamada, J. Cell Biol. 166: 11-15 (2004)

For more information contact Fred Grinnell at frederick.grinnell@utsouthwestern.edu or Susanne Mumby at Susanne.Mumby@utsouthwestern.edu.