Course outline
Course outline
Mind the GAP is an online training for research integrity intented for (PhD) researchers, researchers who just started working for one of the Flemish universities, supervisors and more experienced researchers who want to know more about research integrity.
In this tool you can find:
- Welcome
- Module 1: Introduction: research integrity in general
- Module 2: Supervision and Mentoring: focus on the relationship between PhD researchers and their supervisors.
- Module 3: Good Academic Practices: most recommended good academic research practices when it comes to:
- Research design and conduct
- Research Data Management (RDM)
- Reporting results
- Conflicts of interest
- Science communication
- Research(er) evaluation and assessment
- Module 4: Violations of Research Integrity: possible violations of research integrity and what to do when misconduct happens.
- Supplementary – General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Supplementary – Ethics rules and regulations
Take your time
Going through this tool will take you approximately 8 hours and but doesn’t need to be completed all at once.
Exercises and testing
This tool is not just about reading your way through basic knowledge. It also provides some exercises. The exercises are not aimed at checking your insights, nor are they linked to any kind of evaluation. For this reason, answers are neither recorded nor reviewed. Nevertheless, it is important to complete them conscientiously because they help you to understand and practice certain principles and make you think critically about your own practices.
The exercises were made using Bookwidgets, a brand of the Belgian company Kidimedia BV. Which personal data are processed by Kidimedia on the platform in its capacity of data controller, and other privacy aspects are addressed here: https://www.bookwidgets.com/privacy.
How specific kinds of information are presented
To make this tool a little easier to read, some types of information are given in specific style.
Specific fragments of the ALLEA Code are found in this kind of highlight.
Slippery slope – When someone might slip up
This tool mainly focuses on the good research practices but still research integrity holds a lot of interpretation and appreciation within the framework of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. There’s no exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts and it’s not always clear what’s expected or where someone might slip up. That’s why there are some slippery slopes included in the tool, as examples of situations where things can go wrong and can lead to violations of research integrity.
Mind the Good Academic Practice
After each slippery slope, you will find a possible (re)action to prevent violations of research integrity from happening.
Next to this flag is information that contains a certain importance.
Interesting links are found next to this icon.
Bias in research
The tool also points out a few biases that could lead to unintentional mistakes. Consider this bias sign as a heads up or as something to bear in mind. After each slope, you will find a possible (re)action to prevent misconduct from happening. You can find the slippery slopes (and answers) in conversation boxes as you can see below.
Researchers need to deal with different aspects of research integrity at different stages of the research cycle. The section ‘when to think about this?’ gives you a direction.
All actors involved in a specific topic are recognizable by the subway signs. The specifics of ‘who’s involved?’ are explained in the first module.
Gender issues within research. Gender can have an impact on research(ers), even when we’re not aware of it.
Research integrity is also important in all kinds of collaborations, whether these are in your own research field, interdisciplinary, interuniversity and/or international. Practical implementation of rules and guidelines might not be the same everywhere.
