Since the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity in 2010, the international scientific community has been mobilizing to ensure that the methodological and ethical requirements of research are more clearly stated, in a context where the race for novelty and the introduction of a reinforced competitive logic increase the risks of scientific misconducts. In addition, regulatory strengthening and social responsibility issues require knowledge of fundamental principles of research integrity.
The various research organisations in France have multiplied their initiatives and their convergence has led to the signature of the "charte de déontologie des métiers de la recherche" (Charter of Ethics in Research Professions) by the CPU (Conference of University Presidents) and the main research bodies in January 2015. Following the report submitted by Pr. Pierre Corvol in 2016, Bilan et propositions de mise en œuvre de la charte nationale d’intégrité scientifique (Assessment and proposals for the implementation of this charter), several decisions were taken, notably:
- doctoral schools must ensure that doctoral students benefit from training in ethics and research integrity,
- institutions have appointed a delegate to research integrity ("référent intégrité scientifique"),
- a French Office for Scientific Integrity (OFIS) was installed in 2017 at the HCERES.
Committed to this issue since 2012 with the adoption of a charter of ethic, the University of Bordeaux has developed this course on research integrity, in partnership with CPU (Conférence des Présidents d’Université), and the main French research bodies (COMETS-CNRS, INSERM and INRA). With the support of the Bordeaux IdEx and the Collège des écoles doctorales, this course was designed with the Mission d'appui à la pédagogie et à l'innovation (MAPI) of the University of Bordeaux.
The objective of this training is to disseminate a culture of research integrity within institutions. Rather than passing on knowledge (this is not a learning process), it is a matter of raising awareness of the various issues associated with research integrity and encouraging a critical approach by proposing the basic elements necessary to understand and support the requirements of research integrity. This training aims at:
- Inform you about research integrity issues,
- alert you to the mechanisms that can lead to scientific misconducts,
- encourage you to develop a sense of responsibility and conduct yourself in a spirit of scientific integrity.
This training has been attended by PhD students from the University of Bordeaux since 2017 and by other higher education and research institutions since 2018. It was introduced as a MOOC on FUN from November 2018. Nearly 10,000 learners registered each year for the first two sessions (2018/19 and 2019/20). Of the 2,511 learners who have filled out the training evaluation questionnaire, 97% considered it useful and 99% that they had acquired new knowledge.
Course formatThis MOOC is a self-paced course. This session 3 will be continuously open from 1st September 2020 to 31 August 2021. As soon as it opens, you can set your own work pace and have access to all the educational content and fun and collaborative activities. You will discover a wide variety of tools: campus videos, professors' interviews by PhD students, interviews with experts, testimonials from PhD students, animations, interactive situations, tests to verify the knowledge acquired, films, discussions on forums to enrich your training experience, without forgetting additional resources to enable you to go further. Four support periods (« waves ») will be organized - one wave every 3 months - and will allow you to ask your questions to the pedagogical team. More information is provided in the introductory section "Before you start".
