Speaker 1: Welcome to Research Ethics and Integrity. In this video, we will discuss the importance of research ethics and integrity in the field of food and nutrition sciences. Let's begin by understanding what research ethics is all about. Research ethics is a set of moral principles that guide researchers in their work. These principles play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of scientific investigations. It ensures the protection of participants, upholds the credibility of research findings, and fosters public trust. There are many reasons why research ethics are important. Some of these reasons include to protect the rights and welfare of research participants, to ensure the accuracy and reliability of research findings, to maintain public trust in research, and to promote responsible and trustworthy research practices. Another important aspect of scientific research is research integrity. Research integrity is the adherence to ethical principles in all aspects of research, from the design of the study to the publication of the findings. It is important to uphold integrity in research to protect public trust and ensure that the research findings are accurate and reliable. There are three main principles in research integrity—honesty, transparency, and impartiality. Researchers must be honest in all aspects of their work. This includes reporting their findings accurately, using appropriate statistical methods, acknowledging the contributions of others, and being diligent in the collection and analysis of data. Researchers must be transparent about their data, methods, and findings. This includes providing detailed descriptions of research methods and, when appropriate, making the research materials available for review by peers. Researchers should also be fair and impartial in their work. This means avoiding bias in research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Researchers should also disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the objectivity of their work. But how do you ensure that the research you are doing is adhering to research ethics and integrity? Consider the following. Maintain informed consent. Participants must be given all relevant information about the research study before they can agree to participate. Ensure confidentiality of the participants. Avert data fabrication and falsification. Selective reporting or manipulation of data to fit a particular narrative is considered unethical. Avoid plagiarism, disclose conflicts of interest, and participate in ethical reviews. Research proposals can be reviewed by an independent body to ensure that they meet ethical standards. Let's look at a small case study to better understand research integrity. Tom is a third-year PhD student working on evaluating the fiber content of commercially available baby food. He has been collecting samples from baby food manufactured by 10 different companies. Anna is a first-year master's student working in the same lab. Her project is on a different topic, but she helps Tom with his work when required. Tom's project is funded by a baby food company named Gugu Gourmet. It is important to note that Gugu Gourmet's products are included in the fiber content study. Tom's advisor is Dr. David, and they have a lab manager named Violet who is responsible for ordering lab supplies. Tom has been collecting data for one year now, and Dr. David wants Tom to write a manuscript to publish their findings. Tom has been very organized in reporting and maintaining the data of his research work. He keeps records in both his lab notebook and in an electronically shared folder that Dr. David's lab members have access to. However, the result of Tom's work showed that the fiber content in the food manufactured by Gugu Gourmet is significantly lower than their competitor, Tots and Taste Buds. Therefore, Gugu Gourmet wants Tom to omit the results of their competitor's product when publishing the manuscript. How should Tom handle this request? Tom should not omit the results. The key to being transparent and reducing bias in industry-funded research requires the control of the study design, the research itself, and the interpretation of the findings to remain with the scientific investigator, not the funder. Tom has finished the draft of his manuscript. He's listed as first author, and since Anna helped Tom, she's listed as second author. Although Violet, the lab manager, has not contributed to the project by being involved in conducting any experiments, Dr. David wants to include her as the third author. Should Violet be included as an author? Researchers must be clear about who contributed to the research and in what way. Violet can be included in the acknowledgement section, but maybe not necessarily as an author on the paper. Food and nutrition research, like any other field, can be susceptible to various biases that may influence the design, conduct, interpretation, and reporting of studies. These biases can affect the quality and reliability of research findings. Here are some common biases that exist in food and nutrition research. First is publication bias. This occurs when studies with statistically significant or positive results are more likely to be published than studies with non-significant or negative findings. It can lead to an overestimation of the true effects of a dietary intervention or a particular food product. Funding bias is another source of bias to be considered. This happens when studies funded by industry or organizations with vested interest in a particular outcome may be more likely to produce results that align with those interests. Researchers may also face pressure to design studies that favor their funders' goals. Also consider confirmation bias. Researchers and authors may have preconceived notions or beliefs about a certain dietary pattern or food, leading them to interpret data in a way that supports their existing views. To mitigate these biases, researchers in the field of food and nutrition should prioritize transparency in reporting, disclose conflicts of interest, use rigorous research methods, and consider the potential sources of bias at each stage of the research process. Additionally, peer review and independent replications of studies can help identify and address biases in the field. Proper training and education can help researchers to identify and assess ethical issues. It can also help to weigh the potential benefits and risk of the research and to make decisions that are consistent with ethical principles. Together, members of the public and private sector can play an important role in fostering and encouraging an ethical research environment for all. But what is your goal as a researcher in research ethics and integrity? Ultimately, it's the responsibility of each researcher to maintain ethical standards throughout the research process. Especially in food and nutrition science, implementation of these processes ensures that you're producing credible and reliable research that can advance scientific knowledge to improve public health. There's a couple steps you can take to learn more. First, make sure that you're staying up to date on ethical guidelines and review processes at your institution. Participate in training programs on research ethics offered by your institution or other scientific resources. And review literature on research ethics and integrity in food and nutrition science. Research ethics is an important issue that all researchers should be aware of as you design, execute, and analyze and publish your research. By following ethical principles and guidelines, researchers can help to ensure the validity of findings and promote public trust in food and nutrition research. Thanks for watching this video. We'll meet you in our next video.