An upcoming webinar will discuss responsible conduct in research, including key expectations for Brock researchers and the policies and procedures that help cultivate ethical and responsible research practices.

Policies and Practices for Responsible Conduct of Research will take place online Wednesday, Nov. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. The free and interactive webinar is open to Brock graduate and undergraduate student researchers, faculty and staff as part of the Building Better Research professional development workshop series offered jointly by the Brock University Library and the Office of Research Services.

“A part of building better research is engaging responsibly in research,” said Michelle McGinn, Brock University’s Associate Vice-President, Research, who is leading the webinar. “The focus of the presentation is on being an engaged and responsible researcher, and part of that includes understanding and following policy.”

McGinn will review the national Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research as well as Brock University’s Responsible Conduct of Research Policy and Academic Integrity Policy.

She also plans to clarify procedures for situations of research misconduct allegations, investigations and outcomes.

“We’ll discuss what to do if a researcher suspects something may have gone amiss in a research project or if an allegation is made against their research,” McGinn said.

In the case of something going amiss, a researcher or another individual may suspect plagiarism, data integrity issues or missing approvals from an ethics committee. Sometimes a researcher may even realize they have missed a step themselves.

Additionally, if a student makes an error while under a faculty member’s supervision, McGinn said although a student is responsible for their own wrongdoing, the faculty supervisor may be responsible as well.

“A supervisor is there to supervise and to put in place the right support for the student,” she said.

McGinn will also offer examples of the types of cases the University has handled under its related policies and will analyze some situations to better understand the challenges experienced in each case.

Interested faculty, staff and students can register for the session via ExperienceBU.

Employees unable to attend the live session can watch a video recording that will be posted online shortly after the session. The 2020-21 Building Better Research series of 18 workshops is also available on the Research Enterprise SharePoint site. Students interested in accessing the videos are asked to email Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Research Officer, Social Sciences and Humanities, at scranstonreimer@brocku.ca for access.

All Building Better Research sessions are listed on the Building Better Research web page.

To suggest topics for the series, or for more information, contact Cranston-Reimer at scranstonreimer@brocku.ca or Nicole Nolan, Associate University Librarian, at nnolan@brocku.ca

Upcoming Building Better Research Series workshops

Policies and Practices for Responsible Conduct of Research
Wednesday, Nov. 17 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Michelle McGinn, Associate Vice-President, Research

New Faculty Orientation: Research Services at Brock University
Tuesday, Nov. 23 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Cathy Baillie, Learning and Organizational Development Specialist; Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Research Officer; Giulia Forsythe, Associate Director, Centre for Pedagogical Innovation; Bradley McLean, Acting Director, Research Services; and Nicole Nolan, Associate University Librarian.

So, you want to do a systemic review?
Tuesday, Nov. 30 from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Presented by Chelsea Humphries, Liaison Librarian, and Elizabeth Yates, Liaison and Scholarly Communication Librarian.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research Proposals
Friday, Dec. 17 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Research Officer.

Introduction to Proposal Writing
Friday, Jan. 21 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Project Facilitator Julie Gregory and Research Officers Vincent Annibale, Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Karen Espiritu, Danusha Kalinga, Suramya Mihindukulasuriya, Monika Ovsonka and Laura Smithson.

Hands on Introduction to Text Analysis
Wednesday, Jan. 26 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Tim Ribaric, Acting Head of Brock’s Digital Scholarship Lab and the Map, Data and GIS Library.

Community Engagement in Research
Wednesday, Feb. 16 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Julie Gregory, Project Facilitator, and Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Translation Officer.

Harvesting Social Media Data
Wednesday, Feb. 23 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Tim Ribaric, Acting Head of Brock’s Digital Scholarship Lab and the Map, Data and GIS Library.

Establishing and Maintaining Your Research Team
Tuesday, March 1 from noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Michelle McGinn, Associate Vice-President, Research. 

Knowledge Mobilization — The Basics
Wednesday, April 13, noon to 1 p.m.
Presented by Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Translation Officer.