Seminar

Mapping disciplinary differences in Responsible Conduct of Research: A Delphi study

Dr. Jackie Thompson, Dr. Jennifer Ferrar, Dr. Sarahanne Field, & Tom van Drimmelen

Date: Friday 31 January 2025
Time: 15:00 - 16:15
Location: Willem Einthoven
Kolffpad 1
2333 BN Leiden
Room: CWTS Common Rooms

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Abstract

Conducting research responsibly is not a one-size-fits-all concept for all disciplines, but guidance often treats it as such. To fill this gap, we ran a 3-part study to identify how responsible conduct of research (RCR) differs across a wide range of academic disciplines. The first two elements comprised a scoping review of existing literature on RCR, and a series of interviews and focus groups with experts in RCR; from these we compiled an initial list of over 30 possible dimensions of RCR. Finally, we ran a Delphi study in which approximately 60 RCR experts from different research disciplines (across arts and humanities, social sciences, life and health sciences, and physical and mathematical sciences) refined the list of RCR dimensions and then rated the importance of each dimension in their discipline, whilst considering feedback from other panellists.

During the seminar, we will present the results of this Delphi study (see materials and outputs), illuminating which dimensions of RCR may be more universal, versus which vary widely across disciplines. We aim for our findings to be shared not only as academic papers, but also as a toolkit to help those working in research (e.g., leadership and research support staff at HEIs, and other sector stakeholders such as funders, publishers, and policymakers) better understand this wide, varied landscape.