Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

The VDS PhaNuSpo offers a training course on "Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)" to its PhD students, which consists of one training session every year (4 sessions in total). During each training session, the PhD students will discuss different aspects of research integrity, illustrated by a wide variety of cases, and share their experiences with their PhD fellows.

The indivudual modules build on each other and are designed so that the content runs parallel to the specific challenges of a PhD programme. This means, for example, that you can better integrate the content of the modules into your work, that you have more concrete questions and that you are not only introduced to the topic in theory.

After the completion of all four modules, you will receive 1 ECTS and a course certificate. If you complete your PhD programme before the 4th module, the ECTS will be awarded on a pro-rata basis.

We ask all students whose doctoral studies started on/after 1 March 2024 to register for this course.

Module I, Year 1, On-Site: “Responsible Conduct of Research”

Learning objectives: Participants learn strategies on how to discuss and deal with issues and dilemmas that occur in life science research; and they will learn to deal with these issues from a Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) perspective. Furthermore, participants learn to identify breach of RCR by other researchers, e.g., in publications, research proposals, and behaviour.

Instructional method: Participants prepare for the course by reading 1-2 articles on RCR. 1) A lecture will introduce the different aspects of RCR in the life sciences. 2) Participants will subsequently discuss in small outbreak groups either premade dilemmas, or they can enter their own experience as a discussion topic. 3) The outbreak groups will shortly present their dilemma, the discussion outcome and considerations in a plenary session.

  • Date: 23 May 2024, 9.00-13.00 (with breaks)
  • Location: Hörsaal 4 @UZAII (Pharmaziezentrum), 1090 Vienna
  • Group size: 50
  • Registration: closed

Module II, Year 2, Online: “Integrity in academic publication: authorship and peer review”

Learning objectives: You learn how to be or become a good author and fair reviewer. Our aim is to stimulate you to become aware of relevant issues in your academic publishing practice and ways to approach them from a Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) perspective.

Instructional method: You will first complete the E-module "Integrity in academic publication: authorship and peer review", which will take approximately 3-4 hours. Next, you will participate in an one-hour live meeting plenary session in which you discuss several tasks performed in the E-module guided by the trainer.

  • Date: to be scheduled

Module III, Year 2, Online: “Responsible research through supervision, mentoring and working together”

Learning objectives: You will be introduced to key challenges that you could face when collaborating with others during your PhD research. Furthermore, you will learn how to deal with expectations and responsibility in supervision and mentoring.

Instructional method: You will first complete the E-module "Responsible research through supervision, mentoring and working together". Next, you will participate in an one-hour live meeting plenary session in which you discuss several tasks performed in the E-module guided by the trainer.

  • Date: to be scheduled

Module IV, Year 3, on-site: "RCR for the next career path"

Learning objectives: We will focus on tools than enable you to be a "good citizen in science" in your next career steps, and reflect on your rights and duties towards science and society as a PhD.to follow.

Instructional method: The 3 hour meeting consists of an introductory lecture, outbreak groups with challenges you may encounter in your next career path, and plenary feedback session in which you present and reflect on the case(s) you discussed and/or encountered during your PhD trajectory.

  • Date: to be scheduled

Trainer

Marcel van der Heyden is associate professor in the department of Medical Physiology at the University Medical Center Utrecht. He obtained his PhD in the field of cancer research at the Utrecht University in 1995. Thereafter he performed two post-docs on stem cell biology and connexins at the Netherlands Institute of Developmental Biology. He entered the field of cardiac arrhythmias in 2000. Currently, his focus is on cardiac potassium ion channel pharmacology and ion channel trafficking. His research group combines functional electrophysiological methods with cellular and molecular biology, and biochemical methods. He authored more than 150 peer reviewed papers, most of which deal with membrane protein biology and pharmacology including ion channels. Marcel also teaches and writes on scientific integrity and is Consulting Editor for Research Integrity for the British Journal of Pharmacology, and member of the Utrecht University Committee for Research Integrity. Marcel is editor on several peer review physiology and pharmacology journals.

More information (course structure & content) at the Utrecht University website PhD Course Centre Agenda - Graduate School of Life Sciences

Cancellation and No-show policy

Once you have signed up for a course, we expect you to attend. For every late cancellation or no-show we have had to disappoint others who would have liked to attend. Our policy is:

  • We expect that you actively attend the full course, but at least 80%. It is mandatory to attend the first session. If you do not attend the first session, you will not be able to follow the remaining of the course.