Research Integrity Training and Learning Resources
Research integrity and ethical research practice is both an individual responsibility and a shared responsibility across the national and global research enterprise. With the increasing pace and complexity of scientific advancement and development of new technologies, along with evolving institutional and federal requirements, the principles of responsible research conduct must adapt and be reinforced through ongoing learning and professional development throughout a researcher’s career.
The most effective research integrity training programs tend to emphasize case studies and scenario simulations with discipline-specific examples, small group discussions and mentorship integration, and ongoing refresher training (in person or online) to cover broad topics and institutional specific requirements. The selection of research integrity learning and training resources below represent a spectrum of publicly available, self-directed online content and videos, as well as commercially available online training modules. This site will continue to be updated with new informational and training resources.
In addition, there are several publicly available reports, policy, and guideline documents linked under the References section within the five themes under the Professional Standards of Scientific Research page that serve as a resource for continued learning and awareness.
While several of the resources identified below were developed through support provided by federal agencies or are resources utilized by Federal agencies, links to such resources here do not imply official federal government endorsement.
Example Case Studies and Scenarios
- “The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct” – An interactive movie on research misconduct. National Institutions of Health (NIH), Office of Research Integrity (ORI). Assume the role of one of four characters and make decisions about integrity in research.
- Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – Guidance Documents . Use the “filter” feature to find case studies by topic area.
- Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science – Scenarios for Ethics Modules in the Responsible Conduct of Research. This site provides several examples of scenarios that cover a range of ethical issues. The scenarios are presented and questions are posed. This content is intended for small group discussions. Possible or appropriate responses to the posed questions are not provided.
Informational Resources
- AGU Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics policy – American Geophysical Union policy for AGU members and AGU sponsored activities.
- APS Ethical Standards – Ethical standards policy of the American Physical Society.
- Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research – NIH/ORI resource.
- On Being a Scientist: An Updated and Online Guide to the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research – National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (in progress). NASEM is updating and modernizing its 2009 resource, On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition. The updated guide will cover additional topics including emerging technologies and will transition to being an online-first guide.
Online Training Resources for Individuals
- NOAA Scientific Integrity Training – Available on the Commerce Learning Center (CLC) to NOAA federal employees, contractors, and NOAA affiliates. “Covered Individuals” under the NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy are required to take the training every two years. For NOAA contractors and affiliates, contact your federal program manager for information on how to get a CLC account and access the training.
- Integrity in Scientific Research Videos and Infographics – NIH/ORI video series introduces key topics and ethical dilemmas in the responsible conduct of research. The associated infographics are intended to encourage discussion and sharing of research ethics topics.
- Nature Masterclasses – On demand courses.
- “Research Integrity: Publication Ethics” – Free course access, requires registration.
- “Focus on Peer Review” – – Free course access, requires registration.