The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct

In a research lab setting with tight deadlines, competition for funding and publication, and close collaboration with students, postdocs, and PIs, you are bound to encounter many ethical decision points throughout your career. It's important to know the potential consequences of your actions, both on a professional and personal level. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Research Integrity has developed an interactive video tutorial to walk researchers through some of these critical decisions.

The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct allows you to become the lead characters in an interactive movie and make decisions about integrity in research that can have long-term consequences. The simulation addresses Responsible Conduct of Research topics such as avoiding research misconduct, mentorship responsibilities, handling of data, responsible authorship, and questionable research practices. Play as a grad student, a postdoc, a PI, or a research administrator and see how your decisions affect your career as an academic.

The Office of Research Integrity also provides case summaries of real research misconduct hearings and a variety of online resources about different responsible conduct of research topics.

For more information about how research misconduct is handled at UCSB, visit the Office of Research Research Misconduct page.