Research integrity in practice

Macquarie University is committed to ensuring that its research activities involving human participants are conducted in a way that respects the dignity, rights and welfare of participants, and that minimises the risk to participants, researchers, third parties and the University.

Working with some groups of people involves particular responsibilities unique to that group. For example, research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples spans many methodologies and disciplines. There are wide variations in the ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, communities or groups are involved in, or affected by, research.

Researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals should be familiar with the following guidelines:

• Values and Ethics – Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research (2003)
• Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (2012)
• Keeping research on track: a guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about health research ethics (2006).

Appropriate consumer involvement in research should be encouraged and facilitated by the University and its researchers. Health researchers working with consumers should be familiar with the Statement on Consumer and Community Participation in Health and Medical Research (the statement on participation) (2016).

Researchers also have special responsibilities when working with particular groups of people. The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research provides guidelines for working with particular groups of people, including:

• women who are pregnant and the human fetus
• children and young people
• people in dependent or unequal relationships
• people highly dependent on medical care who may be unable to give consent
• people with a cognitive impairment, an intellectual disability or a mental illness
• people who may be involved in illegal activities
• people in other countries.

Contact the Ethics Secretariat at ethics.secretariat@mq.edu.au if you have questions about conducting research with these groups.

In 2019, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Research Council (ARC) and Universities Australia released the Management of Data and Information in Research: A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

The guide established that data management across all stages of the data lifecycle is an integral component of research integrity and is a shared responsibility between researchers and institutions.

To enable researchers to meet their responsibilities, Macquarie University has invested in new initiatives and a framework to support research data management.

The Research Data Management Policy suite underpins a comprehensive set of expected practices at Macquarie University for managing data across the research lifecycle. The suite includes the:

• Research Data Management Policy
• Research Data Management Procedure
• Research Data Sensitivity, Security and Storage Guideline

Refer to the Research Data Management Framework for further information.

It is important that authorship of research outputs is correctly attributed.

Refer to the Research Authorship Policy, the Authorship Planning Form Template, and the Authorship Contribution Statement Form for further information.

Contact a research integrity advisor for more information about authorship issues or if you are concerned about any aspect of authorship practice at the University.

Contact the Research Integrity Office at research.integrity@mq.edu.au if you are from outside Macquarie University and have concerns about authorship practices at the University.

Distribution of research findings is a critical part of the research process. Typically, research is not considered complete until the findings have been published. However, researchers need to be aware of any agreements with funding providers that might prescribe if, when and how research findings can be disseminated.

Dissemination of research findings typically involves formal publication in journals or books but also includes sharing the research in non-refereed publications, webpages and other media and digital repositories.

Researchers must ensure that published reports, statistics and public statements about research activities and performance are complete, accurate and unambiguous. If a researcher becomes aware of unintentional, misleading or inaccurate statements in their work, they must attempt to correct the record as soon as possible.

Researchers should, where possible, make the results of their research publicly accessible and must follow the University’s Open Access Policy.

Communicating research findings with the wider community

Engaging with the wider community is a vital part of disseminating research findings. There are a variety of traditional and emerging modes for providing research information to the public, but the following general principles apply in all cases:

• when discussing the outcomes of a research project, special care should be taken to explain the status of the project ie whether it is still in progress or has been finalised
• as far as possible, all authors of the work should be acknowledged and should approve the communications
• the source of any financial support should be acknowledged
• anyone directly impacted by the research findings should be informed before wider dissemination of the results.

Researchers may need to convey complicated findings in a clear, concise manner with members of the public. Group Marketing can provide training and advice on how best to communicate research and provide help with writing media releases and preparing for interviews, as well as liaising with the media.

Macquarie University is committed to nurturing and training new researchers to conduct their research responsibly, with honesty, accuracy and objectivity. The University provides resources and training to research students to assist them in this area.

Research students, like all researchers at Macquarie, are expected to comply with the University’s research integrity guidelines. Research students are encouraged to discuss matters of research integrity with their supervisors. In particular, they should make sure they understand how to conduct responsible research in relation to the following:

• ethical approval requirements of their project
• safety requirements of their project
• respect for the environment
• management of research data
• management of research funds
• responsible publication and dissemination of findings
• appropriate attribution of authorship
• peer review
• conflicts of interest
• collaborations
• reporting suspected research misconduct.

Responsibilities of supervisors at Macquarie:

• ensure that research integrity training for students starts as soon as possible after the commencement of a new student and continues throughout their candidature with regular updates
• mentor and provide support to guide the professional development of students
• ensure valid and accurate research by providing suitable oversight
• ensure that that a student’s project has all necessary ethical and biosafety approvals prior to commencing research. If there is doubt about the need for approval, advice should be sought from Research Ethics and Integrity
• ensure appropriate attribution, including ensuring students receive appropriate credit for their work
• ensure the student’s research data and materials are held with appropriate security and that data and materials are retained by the University for at least five years or longer if necessary.

Responsibilities of higher degree research students:

• display a professional attitude towards research and actively seek guidance from supervisors.
• complete all induction and training courses as soon as practical after commencing.

A conflict of interest exists where there is a divergence between the individual interests of a person and their professional responsibilities in a way that might make an independent observer reasonably conclude that the professional actions of that person are unduly influenced by their own interests. Research-related conflicts of interest may apply to researchers and those who facilitate research funding with industry, philanthropic sources and government agencies.

Conflicts of interest in the research area are common, and it is important that they are disclosed and dealt with properly. An individual researcher should therefore expect to be conflicted from time to time and be ready to acknowledge the conflict and make disclosures as appropriate.

Examples of possible conflicts of interest in research include but are not limited to situations where:

• the research is sponsored by a related body
• the researcher or a related body may benefit, directly or indirectly, from any inappropriate dissemination of research results (including any delay in or restriction on publication of results)
• the researcher or a related body may benefit, directly or indirectly, from the use of University resources
• the researcher conducts a clinical trial that is sponsored by any person or organisation with a significant interest in the results of the trial
• private benefits or significant personal or professional advantage are dependent on research outcomes.

Note: A related body is any person or body with which the researcher has an affiliation or a financial involvement.

Managing conflict of interest

The responsibility for managing a conflict of interest rests in the first instance with the individual. Researchers and those who facilitate research and research funding should assess their own situation to ascertain if a conflict of interest exists whether actual, perceived or potential.

Disclosure

All staff and students must make a full disclosure of a conflict of interest or of circumstances that might give rise to an actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest as soon as reasonably practicable.

Financial involvement or interest

A financial involvement includes a direct or indirect financial interest, provision of benefits (such as travel and accommodation) and provision of materials or facilities.

An indirect financial interest is a financial interest or benefit derived by the researcher’s relatives, personal or business associates, or students.

Perceptions

It is important to recognise that actual or potential opportunities to give preference to personal interests may routinely arise from competing obligations and can be other than financial.

Refer to the Conflict of Interest Policy for further information.

Peer review is the impartial assessment of research by others working in the same or a related field. Peer review is often used in the evaluation of grant proposals, publications and ethics approvals.

Macquarie University acknowledges the importance of peer review as part of the scientific process, and we encourage all our researchers to participate in peer review.

Refer to the Peer Review Standard for further information.

Macquarie University encourages collaborative research within and beyond the University, nationally and internationally.

When establishing an external research collaboration, you should discuss the following areas with your collaborators:

• ownership of intellectual property (see the University’s Intellectual Property Policy)
• ownership, location and access to the data and materials
• confidentiality
• identification and management of conflicts of interest
• protocols for the dissemination of research outputs
• sharing of commercial returns
• responsibility for ethics and research safety.

In some instances, a formal agreement between the collaborating organisations may be necessary. Researchers are encouraged to discuss potential collaborations with their faculty research manager at an early stage to determine if a formal agreement is required.

Researchers involved in a collaborative research project must familiarise themselves and comply with the written agreement governing the collaboration and all policies and agreements affecting the project.

Researchers must disclose to their collaborators as soon as possible any actual or apparent conflicts of interest relating to any aspect of a collaborative project.