ResearchEthics and Integrity

At the heart of all research

Professor Richard JenkinsChair of University Research Ethics Committee

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The University of Sheffield aspires to produce the highest quality research.

This is not just a matter of asking the right questions, using the most appropriate procedures

to seek answers to them, and communicating results as accurately as possible.

Good research is also ethical research.

It is one thing to have that kind of aspiration…quite another to begin to

deliver it.

That’s the job of the University Research Ethics Committee (UREC).

The University Research Ethics Committee wasestablished as a result of changes in the external

researchfunding environment.

The Wellcome Trust, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and eventually the research councils

began to make proper research ethics policies and vetting procedures a condition of awarding

research money.

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History of UREC…

• 2003: Senate approves ‘University Ethics Policy for Research Involving Human Participants, Data and Tissue’.

• 2004: UREC, established as a Committee of Senate, starts to meet and identifies working principles.

• 2005: University’s Ethics Review Procedure launched.

• 2006: UREC begins to verify how ethics review arrangements are working, through receipt of annual reports on ethics decisions and a rolling programme of visits to academic departments.

• 2008: Issue of ‘Research Ethics and Integrity’ leaflet.

• 2009: Review of ‘University Ethics Policy for Research Involving Human Participants, Data and Tissue’…

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© The University of Sheffield

• To protectTo protect the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of all human participants - research subjects, staff, and students - in University of Sheffield research.

• To facilitateTo facilitate high quality research through attention to detail.

• To facilitateTo facilitate grant capture.• To provide a serviceTo provide a service to all disciplines in all Faculties.• To actively positionTo actively position the University within the national

regulatory-policy environment.

Key Principles…

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• To facilitate and be seen to facilitate researchTo facilitate and be seen to facilitate research, across across all research disciplines. all research disciplines.

• To be neither a formal ‘box ticking’ process nor inappropriately invasive.

• To promote awareness of the benefits and value of To promote awareness of the benefits and value of research ethics to researchers in all research research ethics to researchers in all research disciplines. disciplines.

• To be an effective mechanism for protecting human participants.

• To provide helpful guidance and support to University To provide helpful guidance and support to University staff and students, concerning research ethics, and to staff and students, concerning research ethics, and to prioritise activities that will have the most beneficial prioritise activities that will have the most beneficial impact on research. impact on research.

Key medium term objectives…

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• To further enhance the credibility and reputation of To further enhance the credibility and reputation of University of Sheffield research, through association University of Sheffield research, through association in the minds of stakeholders, including the general in the minds of stakeholders, including the general public, with comparatively high ethical standards.public, with comparatively high ethical standards.

• To establish the University of Sheffield as a To establish the University of Sheffield as a recognised centre of excellent practice with respect to recognised centre of excellent practice with respect to research ethics.research ethics.

Key longer term objective…

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Chair: Prof. Richard Jenkins Deputy Chair: Dr Wendy Baird

Six Faculty representatives:

Dr Peter Bath (Social Sciences) Professor Jonathan Stock (Arts and Humanities) Dr Wendy Baird (Health) Dr Birgit Helm (Biologies) Dr Chris Newman (Medicine) Ms Elena Rodriguez-Falcon (Engineering/Physical Sciences)

Co-opted member: Professor Aurora Plomer (Law)

Student representative: Ms Louise Docherty

Four lay members:

The Archdeacon of Doncaster, Bob Fitzharris Professor Ann Macaskill, Sheffield Hallam University Ms Penelope Lewis

Secretary: Mr Richard HudsonOver 40 administrators, over 40 principal ethics contacts, over 200 ethics reviewers

UREC Members…

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• To review the University’s Ethics Policy, including providing guidance on its interpretation.

• To embed the University’s Ethics Review Procedure:• accrediting departmental ethics review arrangements and

reviewing accreditation on a five-yearly basis,• monitoring departments’ ethics review arrangements and

reviewing annually departmental ethics decision making reports,

• providing guidance in cases of uncertainty brought to its attention by departmental ethics review panels,

• making decisions on cases that cannot be resolved by ethics review panels, and

• hearing appeals against decisions made by departmental ethics review panels.

UREC Terms of Reference…

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• To promote awareness and understanding of research ethical

issues throughout the University.

• To advise on any research ethical matters that are referred to it

from within the University.

• To keep abreast of the external research ethics environment and ensure that the University responds to all external requirements.

Terms of Reference…

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• The ethical review of individual applications:

• unless an applicant has appealed, or

• the department cannot reach a decision.

• Give advice on ethical issues that are not concerned with research.

What UREC doesn’t do…

UREC’s Challenges….

• Staff resistance and misunderstanding.

• Temptations of superficial box-ticking.

• Patchy reception and take-up.

• Resources?

• External ethics approval procedures in medical and social care research…different jurisdictions, different ethics cultures.

Recently, the scope of UREC’s activities has begun to expand, once again in response to changes in the external environment

As a result of the policies of a number of external bodies, not least

Research Councils UK (RCUK), ‘research integrity’ has become a

significant and visible theme, and the two agendas are merging.

Research ethics deals with relationships with, and treatment of

human participants and subjects.

Research integrity deals with relationships with colleagues,

professional communities, funders and the general public.

Effectively, ethics and integrity are fusing, to produce a new, wider research ethics agenda.

In reflection of this the University of Sheffield has recently produced a new statement on Research Ethics and Integrity…

http://www.shef.ac.uk/researchoffice/gov_ethics_grp

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Sir David King, when he was the United Kingdom Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, summarised research ethics succinctly, as a combination of rigour, respect and responsibility.

These generic principles, Sir David’s Universal Ethical Code, apply to all of the University of Sheffield’s research activities, in all of our academic disciplines.

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RIGOUR: Honesty and Integrity

Be as skilful & careful as possible: keep techniques up to date and learn new ones; help others in their professional and personaldevelopment.

Do whatever necessary to stop corrupt practices and professionalmisconduct and adopt procedures to detect and discourage this.

Declare conflicts of interest.

Be alert to how research depends on and has an impact on others’work, and on their rights and reputations.

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RESPECT: Care for Life

All research has implications for the lives of others, is governed by law,

And can make a direct or indirect contribution to the public good. We must

recognise and respect these considerations.

We must have a care for life.

We must work in ways that are lawful and publicly accountable.

We must take account of potentially adverse effects for people, animals

and the natural environment.

We must respect the rights and privacies of individuals.

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RESPONSIBILITY: Communication

This is a matter of how we communicate, listen to and inform our

students, colleagues and the wider public.

We should encourage and participate in debate about the issues that our

research may raise for society.

We should never knowingly mislead or allow others to be misled about

our research or about science.

We must present and review research data, theory or interpretation

honestly and accurately…and accessibly?

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Putting ethics into practice

Although each discipline has its own ethical traditions, proper ethics are the common ground on which all disciplines meet and

there are general lessons to be learned by all researchers.

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Ethics is about quality and research integrity, doing the best possible

research.

Ethics is about how we conduct our research, from start to finish.

Ethics is about how we treat those involved in, or affected by, our

research.

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Ethics is not merely a matter of minimal compliance with codes and guidelines.

Properly ethical research demands that ethical considerations should be in the forefront of our thinking and routinely

inform all that we do.

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Ethics is about communicating our

research goals, procedures and findings

as clearly as possible.

Ethics is about recognising that research

is supported by, and a part of, the wider

society.

Ethics is about being principled and

accountable at all times.

This is an even more ambitious agenda than the original research ethics

agenda that inspired the formation of UREC…

and much, much more difficult.

This will require, not policies and procedures, but a significant culture

change…and not just organisationally, but within disciplines

and in individual working practices.

It will be a long process, requiringmanagerial will and a willingness to

learn from difficult situations.