E-Learning Module ‘Good Research Practice for Doctoral Researchers’
What is research integrity all about?
Integrity is key to research quality. But especially as a doctoral researcher, you are faced with countless questions: Who owns my research data? How do I avoid plagiarism? How can I negotiate authorship? How do I recognize problematic publishers? What do I do in cases of research misconduct or power abuse?
Our new E-learning course “Good Research Practice for Doctoral Researchers will introduce you to strategies of recognizing and dealing with research misconduct or questionable practices. We invite you to reflect your own practice within the larger horizon of academic responsibility.
What happens in the course?
The six chapters of the course are designed to be completed in roughly ten yours – in your own pace, whenever and wherever you want. All content is available in English only. They include videos and interactive exercises designed by nine experts on research integrity, you will learn about the following aspects of research integrity:
- Responsible Research vs. Research Misconduct
Felicitas Heßelmann (Robert K. Merton Center for Science Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) will start by introducing you to definitions and dimensions of research misconduct as per the relevant guidelines – as well as their limitations. You will also briefly learn about the concept of research ethics from Maria Melms (Ombuds Office, Universität Leipzig).
- Questionable Research Practices
Just because research is conducted without misconduct, it is not automatically integer. Jesper Schneider (Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Aarhus University) will introduce you to the considerable gray area of questionable research practices, including a comprehensive optional part on statistical inference.
- Managing Research Data
Access to research data is a frequent source of conflict. From Katrin Frisch (Ombuds Committee for Research Integrity in Germany), you will learn about everything from aspects of data ownership to data usage agreements. Britta Steinke (Service Center Research Data Management, Technische Universität Berlin) will introduce you to strategies of data documentation, publication and archiving, which will help you to make your research process traceable.
- Plagiarism & How to Avoid It
Plagiarism remains the most notorious kind of research misconduct, especially in public discourse. Carl Schüppel (formerly Ombuds Committee for Research Integrity in Germany) will introduce you to different aspects of the phenomenon that go beyond plain copy-and-paste-plagiarism, and help you develop strategies to avoid them.
- Authorship & Publication
Conflicts around authorship are among the most frequent problems related to good research practice. Authorship conventions are highly diverse in different scientific contexts, and Cornelia Schendzielorz (Robert K. Merton Center for Science Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) will help you navigate them. Anna Abalkina (Institute for East European Studies, Freie Universität Berlin) will then guide you through the publication process and the phenomenon of problematic publishers.
- Conflicts in Doctoral Supervision
Knowing about good research practice, including the rights that it guarantees you as a researcher, will not shelter you from getting into conflicts. Maria Melms (Ombuds Office, Universität Leipzig) will help you prepare for managing academic conflicts, especially in doctoral supervision. Joachim Heberle (Central Ombudsperson at Freie Universität Berlin) will introduce you to the system of ombudspersons in German academia and how they can help you.
What’s in it for me?
In addition to engaging with exciting new content and developing strategies on how to conduct your doctoral research, you will receive a certificate of completion when you pass the brief examinations that finish each of the six chapters.
How do I get started?
If you are enrolled at any of the Berlin University Alliance’s partner institutions, you are eligible to start the course right away by taking the following steps:
- Start by opening the link to the course hosted on the moodle of Technische Universität Berlin.
- Upon following the link, you will be asked to log in. If you are a member of Technische Universität, select “TU-Login”. If you are a member of Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität or Charité, select “Login for other universities”, select your institution and enter your institutional credentials on the following page.
- Afterwards, you will be directed to the enrollment page where you can enroll automatically via selecting "self-enrollment".
- That's it! You will be directed to the course page where you will find the six course chapters and all further information.
If you have any problems accessing the course, contact viktor.scholz@berlin-university-alliance.de.
So go ahead – we wish you many new insights, and a lot of fun!