Authorship and Publication Practices: Evaluation of the Effect of Responsible Conduct of Research Instruction to Postdoctoral Trainees

Authors: Funk, Carolyn; Barrett, Kirsten; Macrina, Francis

Source: Accountability in Research: Policies and Quality Assurance, Volume 14, Number 4, October 2007 , pp. 269-305(37)

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

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Abstract:

We have studied postdoctoral trainees funded by NIH F32 fellowship awards in order to test the effectiveness of responsible conduct of research (RCR) education in the areas of authorship and publication practices. We used a 3-wave telephone and on-line survey design, conducted over a period of two years, in order to test for individual change before and after completing RCR education. Overall the responses of the subjects suggested a clear awareness of standards and practices in publication. However, our results failed to suggest that RCR education in this group significantly increased the level of ethically appropriate behavioral responses measured in the study. Similarly we saw no significant effect on increasing awareness of or attention to ethical guidelines about authorship and publication practices. Our interpretation of these null findings was influenced by the significant publication experience of our cohort of subjects. We forward possible explanations for these null findings in this context. Most importantly, we do not suggest that our results argue against continued instruction in RCR education. Instead, we believe our data reinforce the importance of careful articulation of course goals and objectives with attention to the background and experience of the student audience when developing RCR curricula.

Keywords: authorship and publication; authorship guidelines; NIH F32 postdoctoral fellows; RCR; responsible conduct of research instruction

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08989620701670187

Affiliations: 1: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

Publication date: 2007-10-01

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