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				current-module = "Good Research Conduct"
				page-title = "Personal responsibilities"
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							<p>Many researchers view their work as a vocation or 'calling'. Although necessarily highly specialist, your research findings will contribute to the growing body of human knowledge. This is very exciting, but also a big responsibility. Along with meeting wider responsibilities, you also need to assume personal responsibility for your work:</p>
							
							<text-block><p><strong>Personal responsibility</strong> = Accepting and living up to the standards of good moral behaviour relevant to your area of research.</p></text-block>
							
							<h3>Personal responsibilities as virtues</h3>
							
							<p>The basic behaviours required for responsible research can be found in codes of conduct and other policy documents. These behaviours are sometimes referred to as 'virtues'. There is widespread agreement that 'honesty' should be at the forefront of researchers' minds, but after that different countries and fields emphasise different virtues. Nonetheless, there are certain virtues that every researcher should aim to follow as they conduct their research.</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>Click on each virtue for a brief description and an example of how it should be applied in practice.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Continue on for a list of some key virtues and their corresponding definitions.</p></instructional-text-accessible>
							
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								<p><text-label content="Don't let personal preferences cloud your judgement (e.g. don't reject someone's work just because they are taking a different approach)." placement="top">Impartiality</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Stick to facts and accepted methods (e.g. don't try to fit your findings to your hypotheses)." placement="top">Objectivity</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Question whether what you think is true is really true (e.g. ask whether some other explanation could account for your results)." placement="top">Scepticism</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Give equal consideration to all sides or individuals (e.g. give everyone you are working with or whose work you review the same consideration)." placement="top">Fairness</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Be truthful when conducting and publishing research (e.g. don't publish fabricated research results, falsely report research methods or claim credit for work you did not do)." placement="top">Honesty</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Share ideas and findings with others if there are no legitimate reasons for secrecy (e.g. disseminate your data and information about your methods once you have published)." placement="top">Openness</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Treat colleagues and collaborators as research professionals (e.g. keep appointments)." placement="top">Respect</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Fully explain all aspects of your research so others can understand (e.g. key steps or information should not be hidden or obscured)." placement="bottom">Transparency</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Ensure that others can depend on you to meet your responsibilities (e.g. meet deadlines and other obligations when working as part of a team)." placement="bottom">Reliability</text-label></p>
								<p><text-label content="Pay attention to detail (e.g. check and re-check calculations to make sure they are accurate)." placement="bottom">Rigour</text-label></p>
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								<h4>Honesty</h4>
								<p>Be truthful when conducting and publishing research (e.g. don't publish fabricated research results, falsely report research methods or claim credit for work you did not do).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Impartiality</h4>
								<p>Don't let personal preferences cloud your judgement (e.g. don't reject someone's work just because they are taking a different approach).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Objectivity</h4>
								<p>Stick to facts and accepted methods (e.g. don't try to fit your findings to your hypotheses).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Scepticism</h4>
								<p>Question whether what you think is true is really true (e.g. ask whether some other explanation could account for your results).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Fairness</h4>
								<p>Give equal consideration to all sides or individuals (e.g. give everyone you are working with or whose work you review the same consideration).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Openness</h4>
								<p>Share ideas and findings with others if there are no legitimate reasons for secrecy (e.g. disseminate your data and information about your methods once you have published).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Respect</h4>
								<p>Treat colleagues and collaborators as research professionals (e.g. keep appointments).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Transparency</h4>
								<p>Fully explain all aspects of your research so others can understand (e.g. key steps or information should not be hidden or obscured).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Reliability</h4>
								<p>Ensure that others can depend on you to meet your responsibilities (e.g. meet deadlines and other obligations when working as part of a team).</p>
								<hr>
								<h4>Rigour</h4>
								<p>Pay attention to detail (e.g. check and re-check calculations to make sure they are accurate).</p>
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							<p>Overviews such as this one provide guidance, but are not complete or authoritative. You will probably come across different sets of virtues associated with your field and institution, which you will also need to apply to your research.</p>
							
							<h3>Applying virtues to practice</h3>
							
							<p>Virtues can be used to guide decision-making, but usually fail to provide clear answers to difficult questions. This is due, in part, to the fact that the answers to questions of responsibility can depend heavily on the situation.</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>Consider the following case, where Hannah is struggling with an issue that has emerged with her project. Reflect on the extent to which the advice given by Hannah's colleague Becky adheres to the virtues of responsible research.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Consider the following case, where Hannah is struggling with an issue that has emerged with her project. Reflect on the extent to which the advice given by Hannah's colleague Becky adheres to the virtues of responsible research.</p></instructional-text-accessible>

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									<comic-image src="../images/activity_images/course_specific/rcr_1_60_img1.png" alt="Two students, Becky and Hannah are at a water dispenser. Hannah  is  bending  down  to  getting  a  drink.  She  has  a  tired  look  on  her face.  Becky  is  smiling  and  says:  is  everything  on  schedule  for  reporting your poster presentation?"></comic-image>
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										<p><strong>Becky:</strong> "Is everything on schedule for your poster presentation at the conference?</p>
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									<comic-image src="../images/activity_images/course_specific/rcr_1_60_img2.png" alt="Hannah  looks  worried  and  sighs.  Hannah  replies:  Not quite.  I  think  I  have  some  unreliable  data,  so  my  conclusions  are  not  as robust as I was expecting."></comic-image>
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										<p><strong>Hannah:</strong> "Not quite.  I think I have some unreliable data, so my conclusions are not as robust as I was expecting?"</p>
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									<comic-image src="../images/activity_images/course_specific/rcr_1_60_img3.png" alt="Becky  raises  her  palm  and  says:  No  problem.  Drop  the unreliable   data   and   add   a   note   in   the   small   print   of   your   poster explaining what you did."></comic-image>
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										<p><strong>Becky:</strong> "No problem. Drop the unreliable data and add a note in the small print of your poster explaining what you did.</p>
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									<comic-image src="../images/activity_images/course_specific/rcr_1_60_img4.png" alt="Later,  Hannah  is  sitting  at  a  desk  in  a  study  room.  She  is leaning  forward  on  her  arm.  Hannah  looks  thoughtful  and  thinks  to herself: is that really good advice..?"></comic-image>
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										<p><strong>Hannah:</strong> 'Is that really good advice?'</p>
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							<p>Does the advice given by Becky in the scenario above live up to the virtues explained at the start of the screen?</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>Alongside each virtue, select your response ("Yes", "No" or "Not applicable") according to whether you think it is or is not supported by the advice given in the scenario. Click "Vote" to register your response.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Consider each virtue identified below and determine whether you think it is or is not supported by the advice given in the scenario. </p></instructional-text-accessible>
							
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										<th width="20%">Virtue</th>
										<th width="10%">Yes</th>
										<th width="10%">No</th>
										<th width="20%">Not applicable</th>
										<th width="40%"></th>
									</tr>
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										<td>Honesty</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381742" noscript-text="Honesty"></poll>
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										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Impartiality</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381756" noscript-text="Impartiality"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Objectivity</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381755" noscript-text="Objectivity"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Scepticism</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381753" noscript-text="Scepticism"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Fairness</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381752" noscript-text="Fairness"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Openness</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381751" noscript-text="Openness"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
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										<td>Respect</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381750" noscript-text="Respect"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Transparency</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381748" noscript-text="Transparency"></poll>
											<!-- POLL END -->
										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Reliability</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381747" noscript-text="Reliability"></poll>
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										</td>
									</tr>
									<tr>
										<td>Rigour</td>
										<td colspan="4">
											<!-- POLL START -->
											<poll poll-id="10381745" noscript-text="Rigour"></poll>
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								<h4>Virtue 1 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Honesty</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 2 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Impartiality</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 3 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Objectivity</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 4 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Scepticism</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 5 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Fairness</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 6 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Openness</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 7 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Respect</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 8 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Transparency</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 9 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Reliability</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
								<hr>
								<h4>Virtue 10 of 10:</h4>
								<p>Rigour</p>
								<ul>
									<li>Yes</li>
									<li>No</li>
									<li>Not applicable</li>
								</ul>
							</accessible-block>
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							<p>Virtues can be applied in different ways. In attributing her problems to "unreliable data", Hannah might not be being as impartial or objective as she should be. However, it is not clear why she thought her data was "unreliable". If the data were in fact reliable, Becky's advice would be inappropriate. However, if scepticism and rigour prompted Hannah to question her results, leading her to discover that she had actually made a mistake during the data collection, dropping the unreliable data may be the best course of action (although a better alternative might be to repeat the experiment or data analysis).</p>
							
							<h3>Summary</h3>
							
							<p>Virtues are useful for thinking through difficult situations because they provide a framework which you can use to evaluate the choices you have been confronted with. You should also use them as the basis for wider discussion and reflection as you progress through your career.</p>
							
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