Teaching scientific integrity and research ethics.

Abstract

Cases of misconduct in scientific research have enforced a lively public and scientific discussion. The international scientific community has been engaged during the last years in the search for adequate responses to fraud and misconduct. Most of the new guidelines emphasize the responsibility of researchers and scientific institutions for preventive measures; the teaching of research ethics should be included in undergraduate and postgraduate academic education. At the Universities of Ulm and Marburg members of the 'Study group Ethics in Medicine' are developing a teaching program in Research Ethics. They now offer courses: teaching in small groups (7-15 participants) with structured case discussions. These courses are not mandatory. The first steps in the development of the teaching program for young scientists in medicine, biology, chemistry, and physics have been taken. The fields of conflicts in these different fields of science are very similar. We offered five case discussion sessions with mixed groups (postgraduate students, postdocs, head of departments) and the first results are very positive: high acceptance, high motivation, high demand for next courses.