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:
  1. Research design and conduct
  2. Research Data Management (RDM)
  3. Reporting results
  4. Conflicts of interest
  5. Science communication
  6. 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.

When someone might slip up

This tool mainly focuses on the good research practices but still research integrity can feel like a grey area where 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 questionable or even unacceptable research practices. These unacceptable research practices are extra visible because the impact can be very high. It can, for instance, damage the societal reputation of academic research, or it can lead to a waste of resources.

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.

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.

In addition to this: