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Appropriate Research Practices for Preventing Research MisconductI. Scientific Thinking and Research OriginalityScientific thinking is based on a rationale and originality.
Characteristics of scientific research are (1) ability to self-correct, (2) objectivity, and (3) reproducibility.
Research activity should be original and based on a rationale, and it must ensure self-correction, objectivity, and reproducibility for proper hypothesis verification. Research topics and hypotheses are established based on rationale and originality; the relevant scientific activities must be limited to proving or rejecting the proposed research hypothesis. A research hypothesis is a sentence expressing facts or phenomena to be explored by the researcher. Research activity that determines the authenticity of the hypothesis is referred to as the process of ‘hypothesis verification.’ When the hypothesis is rejected, additional research can be conducted to determine the reason for hypothesis rejection, and through this process, the researcher discovers what he or she has not recognized previously. Therefore, rejection of the hypothesis is not a ‘research failure,’ and neither rejection nor acceptance of the hypothesis functions as an obstacle in research practice; in fact, this is an important process in discovering new facts or phenomena in nature. II. Research DesignResearch design must be based on the standard operating protocol (SOP) and bioethics. 1. Standard operating protocolThe SOP is a document detailing the procedure and methods of a certain task in order to achieve consistency by standardizing all lab techniques conducted in a laboratory. Not only researchers affiliated with their own research lab, but also external researchers working in the corresponding lab must follow the protocol. In order to test a hypothesis, a researcher conducts an experiment with two different groups: a test group to which some special treatment is applied, and a control group to which nothing is applied. All procedures of the experiment being conducted in a laboratory must be conducted and standardized according to the SOP of that laboratory. The SOP must be updated continuously and should be disclosed to all researchers conducting their experiments in the laboratory. An SOP is available only for the laboratory establishing the SOP, and may not be suitable for other laboratories exposed to different environments. 2. Compliance with bioethics (refer to Chapter 6)In the case of research involving human participants, the core basis of bioethics is protecting the subjects; in the case of research involving animals it is acknowledging the value of their lives. An institutional review board (IRB) and institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) are both established and managed in each university and institute, and they review various ethical issues related to studies using human subjects and animals. Academic journals require the researchers to observe the standards of bioethics in all research procedures and also require that approval of the IRB or the IACUC be stated in the text of the final manuscript. 3. Methods of prospective study and retrospective studyProspective study | Prospective study is a method of planning and conducting research for hypothesis verification (observational study). The researcher can intentionally design control and treatment groups and set up the experiment environment according to the research purpose and hypothesis and all experimentation should be conducted observing the SOP. Compared to the retrospective study which requires differentiation and collection of data on many different variables, a prospective study allows precise analysis of the effect of the experimental treatment. Laboratory research and typical study designs are generally prospective studies. Retrospective study | Retrospective study is the interpretation of previously collected data (a review of the medical records) on subjects of investigation from a period prior to when the study is carried out. This method requires examination and collection of data from the observation group with varying parameters, and therefore the various factors in the control group should be standardized in order to evaluate the hypothesis. 4. Principles of randomization, even distribution, and replication of experimentsResearchers must have a good understanding of the following principles for their research design. 1. Randomization
2. Replication
☞ Confusion between replication and duplication of experimentsResearchers often confuse replication of experiments and duplication of measurements or observations. Replication of an experiment is repeating the whole experiment using the same experimental procedures but independently with different samples; duplication of measurement, however, is repeating the readings of experimental results from a single sample in order to reduce data fluctuation. Each replicated experiment is considered to be an independent experiment, while duplicate measurements, as merely repeat observations, should be considered statistically as one experiment. When an experiment is replicated and observed a couple of times to be able to obtain the necessary amount of samples, it should still be considered as a single replicate experiment. Likewise, when the obtained samples in an experiment are divided and measured a couple of times, it should still be considered a single replicate experiment. Duplication of measurement must be distinguished from replication of experiment, and when a disparity arises, it is considered to be an error in the data. 3. Even distribution
III. Research Practice and Data Management1. Laboratory notebookResearchers must keep records of their research data in their lab notebooks in order to collect and assess the data of their results in an objective, unbiased manner. Researchers must not only record their data directly in the notebook, but also enter all procedures performed during the experiments along with any environmental factors. The lab notebook is used effectively for research data quality management (to ensure originality and reproducibility) as well as to eliminate risk factors (to resolve problems). In the case that the results are unexpected or difficult to understand, by closely scrutinizing the lab notebooks, the researchers can find the causes or discover new facts or phenomena that have not previously been discovered. In other words, by utilizing the information recorded in the lab notebook, researchers can design new experiments and troubleshoot problems from difficult experiments. Writing the lab notebook: Choosing a notebook
Management of a lab notebook
2. Statistical analysis of research dataThe first thing to check in order to achieve an accurate statistical analysis of experimental data is the number of samples assigned to the groups of the experiment (control and treatment groups). Different methods of analysis must be used depending on whether the number of samples in each experimental group is identical or different. Generally when the number of samples is identical in each group, a t-test can be used, but when the number of samples differs among groups, methods such as linear model analysis must be used. When comparing the experimental effect among more than two groups, the model effect (used to evaluate the differences in normal distribution among all of the groups) must be first tested prior to conducting the comparison among each of the individual groups (paired test: comparing the three experimental groups—A, B, C— testing for a significant difference between A-B, B-C, and C-A). When analyzing the model effect, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used, and if the model effect is not significant, there is no need for a paired test. 3. GLP, GMP, GCPStandardization of both laboratory management and research techniques are criteria for achieving reliable results. Applying the criteria of good laboratory practice (GLP), good manufacturing practice (GMP), and good clinical practice (GCP) are global trends in establishing standardization, and they are used as guidelines to ensure credibility of experimental results and industrial products. In Korea, the relevant regulations are established and applied in each field through agencies such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. 1. Good laboratory practice
3. Good clinical practice
IV. Writing Reports and Research PapersWhen writing a research paper or a report, the researcher must report the results of the study following the author guidelines. The general guidelines for writing a scientific research paper are as follows:
The following are the detailed guidelines for writing each section. 2. AbstractThe abstract is a summary of the key contents of the study, and each academic journal has its own word limit (around 200-250 words, in general, in English). The abstract generally describes the study in one sentence in the order of research purpose and hypothesis, research methods and design, and the samples or the animal subjects used in the study, followed by a description of each experiment method and its results. The last sentence in the abstract is the overall conclusion of the study, presenting the results of the hypothesis verification. 3. IntroductionThe introduction should clearly state the rationale of the research.
4. Materials and MethodsResearch ethics as well as the human and animal subjects of study are presented first, followed by basic experimental methods and a brief description of the specific experimental methods pertaining to the research process. Experimental design (experimental group, independent variables, parameters) and methods of data analysis are also presented; however, experimental design may be required to be presented at the beginning of the materials and methods or at the beginning of the statistical analysis methods depending on the academic journal. 5. ResultsThe results are a succinct description of experimental observations for hypothesis verification based on statistical analyses. Only the numerical data and the observed/measured results essential to the main points are presented, and their interpretation is presented in the discussion. 6. DiscussionThe description of the discussion section should be restricted to the interpretation of the hypothesis and the experimental results of the study. The discussion should focus on the most important interpretation of the results, and should avoid lengthy or speculative explanations of other researchers' experimental results. Even when describing future study plans, it is best to compare only the experimental results directly associated with the experiments being reported. A research proposal, unlike a research paper, must present a clear research design and must describe the preliminary experimental results with a relevant working hypothesis. Because the research plan and design conducted according to the research proposal may change after the start of the experiment, it is most efficient for the research proposal to focus only on the first experiment. V. Lab Management and the Lab Environment1. CommunicationThe most important virtue in the laboratory is communication. Having effective communication among laboratory members is essential because the members, by being affiliated with the same laboratory not only use the same experimental devices and share the general SOP, but also share the same data and materials.
Regular and irregular lab meetings
Any topics including changes in the standard research technique, writing the lab notebook, and resolution of problems may be discussed. The minutes of all lab meetings must be recorded and be copied to all lab members who have attended the meetings. 2. Research practiceResearch must be conducted providing equal status to the principal investigator and the other research staff members; agreement on the direction of research and consistent implementation of the experiments are essential for good research practice. Research conducted based on effective communication and agreement among the principal investigator and the other research staff members is directly connected to the planning stage of the experimental design and greatly affects legal issues such as copyright issues. |