Reporting Obligations
Why is it important to report mistakes in our published research?
Prevent misinformation, allow others to build upon accurate data, don't mislead stakeholders
Define ethics.
Morals, community, standards... etc.
What does reproducibility mean?
The extent to which consistent results are obtained when an experiment is repeated.
What is one way you can make your research open-access?
Publishing supplemental data, GitHub, figshare, publish in open access journals, utilize an institutional repository
What is the largest of Penn State's 24 campuses?
University Park
To whom do you owe honesty and accuracy in your research?
Stakeholders, PI, coauthors, funding bodies, institution, other researchers that intend to use your research
What are the key elements of an ethical research proposal?
Key elements include informed consent, minimizing harm, ensuring confidentiality, protecting vulnerable populations, and having a clear plan for data handling and transparency
What is a common consequence of poor data recording in research?
Misleading or inaccurate results, confirmation bias, etc.
What are some benefits of publishing in open-access journals?
Open-access journals increase the visibility of research, allow broader access to findings, and promote greater scientific collaboration.
What is the name of Penn State's annual dance marathon for charity?
THON
What are some steps you could take if you find out a coauthor has intentionally falsified results for research you are apart of?
Talk with them or a superior (if there is one), report the misconduct, communicate the situation to other coauthors, etc.
What is the IRB? Define it and describe its role.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee established to review and approve research involving human subjects. Its main purpose is to ensure that research is conducted ethically and in compliance with federal, institutional, and ethical guidelines.
How could conflict of interest impact the results of an experiment?
Bias in study design, data collection, and analysis to suit their own interests or financial stakes.
Why are some scientific journals paywalled?
Quality control, publishing costs, impact factor and prestige, revenue models of the publisher, etc.
The first (unofficial) mascot of Penn State
Old Coaly, a mule
What are the guidelines for retracting a published paper due to significant errors?
Guidelines typically include notifying the journal editor, providing evidence of the mistake, issuing a public retraction or correction notice, and outlining how the error impacts the overall findings.
What unethical U.S. study, conducted between 1932 and 1972, involved the withholding of treatment for syphilis from African American men to observe the progression of the disease, without their informed consent?
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, where African American men with syphilis were misled and denied treatment, even after penicillin became widely available as a cure. The study led to public outrage and significant reforms in research ethics, including the establishment of requirements for informed consent and the creation of the National Research Act.
What is publication bias?
The inaccurate representation of research outcomes often due to skewing null/not significant results to positive/significant.
What are some common misconceptions about open-access publishing?
Common misconceptions include the belief that open-access journals lack similar standards of peer review quality, or that publishing open-access is always free for the authors.
The founders of what famous ice cream company took a course on ice cream making at Berkey Creamery?
Ben & Jerry's
What are the implications of selectively reporting positive results while omitting null results, and how can this distort the scientific record?
Selective reporting, also known as publication bias, can create a skewed representation of findings, overemphasizing successful or positive outcomes while disregarding negative or inconclusive data. This can lead to false conclusions, wasteful duplication of research, and an inflated sense of certainty around hypotheses. Ethically, it undermines scientific transparency and contributes to a reproducibility crisis. To combat this, researchers should practice full disclosure of all results, encourage the publication of negative results, and use pre-registration of studies to promote transparency.
What ethical dilemmas are involved in balancing a study's potential societal benefits with the risks posed to individual participants, especially in cases of vulnerable populations?
Researchers must ensure that these populations are not subjected to undue risk or coercion and that they provide truly informed consent. The challenge is to balance beneficence (doing good for society) with respect for individual autonomy and justice, where the risks and benefits of research are fairly distributed. IRBs must rigorously evaluate these trade-offs to uphold ethical standards.
What role does peer review have in the process of publishing research?
Peer review helps identify and correct errors, biases, and methodological issues in research before publication, improving the quality and reliability of scientific work.
Who is the largest open-access journal publisher?
PLOS (Public Library of Science), which publishes several high-impact open-access journals across a variety of scientific disciplines.
Who was Penn State's first president?
Evan Pugh