Dr Paul Taylor, Director, Research Integrity, Governance and Systems, RMIT, presented at the Research Integrity Advisor Research Data Management Workshop in Hobart, 2017

1. RIA Research Data Management Workshop
Principles and key responsibilities in RI,
RDM, RIAs and their intersection
Dr Paul Taylor Dr Daniel Barr

2. “Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials
and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions”
Oxford English Dictionary Online
http://madamepickwickartblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/python2.jpg
The research process is made up of non-linear steps and shifts

3. ( )
• Safe and ~100% effective vaccines
• Reduction of precancer within 3 years
of introduction
• Accumulation of non-linear steps
• A complex equation of research impact
=
Research always has impact

4. RHF joins SUEED to
work on Mills Cross
Collaboration with
Bernie Mills
commenced - RHF
joins group - also
works with Hanbury
Brown
Johns Perry
Sydney Engineering
etc
Dave McGrath
joins RP
Dave Skellern joins
Macquarie as Prof of
Electronics
Neil Weste
recruited to
Macquarie
JA joins
RP to run
GaAs Prog
License for
technologies
Radiata formed
by Dave , Neil
and Terry
JOS joins
RP to
run SP Prog
Chin Kwong
leaves to
start company
Paul Jackson
completes PhD
Graham Daniels
moves as well
Chris Joins SUEED
Looks for Big Project
to provide PG training
Bernie Mills
joins SU Physics -
gets US funding
Graham Daniels joins
CSIRO
TP Joins
RP
Work started
on FST
DNC and Geoff
Poulton move to new
program
RHF completes PhD -
joins FST project and
academic staff and
supervises students
Join O'Sullivan joins
News Ltd
then Radiata
RHF Joins RP
with plan for
rebuilding RP
1980
Australia
Telescope
Proposal and
funding
CSIRO VLSI
Program
Craig Mudge
Signal Processing
Antennas
Microwave circuits
and GaAs
Program
AT Antenna
Design under
DNC - Asst Chief
- ex Interscan
OTC Antennas
Gnangarra and
Vietnam
$100M estimated
return to Australia
(Peter Meulman)
Jon Ables Correlator Chip
Development
Warwick Wilson develops
correlator
Australia
Telescope
VLSI Design
capability from
VLSI program
FFT Chip Design
FFT Chip
John O'Sullivan
IR&D funding
Dave McGrath
and Brian
Connolly start
Lake DSP
$30 M Cap
A4 Chip for audio
applications
Accusound
Loudspeakers
IEEE Standard
Funding for collab
program with RP
through Macquarie
JRC
RADIATA gets
START funding
and
Develops chip
AUSTEK
Microsystems
Fleurs Given to
SUEED
Development of
FST as basis for
EE PhD projects
Mills Cross
commenced
Chris involves
Ron Aitchison,
Cyril Murray an
Ian Docherty in
new projects
Summit Systems Datamax
Dave Skellern
completes PhD -
sets up Comms
Lab at SUEED -
establishes
collaborations with
HP etc
John O'Sullivan
completes PhD
and goes to
Holland
JDOS' PLANS
Program - FFT
techniques in
Wireless
Networks
CSIRO Div of
Radiophysics
circa 1960
RHF
AWA, OTC,
Ducon
Radiata
demonstrates chip
- bought out by
CISCO
$600M
Aussat Antennas
Galaxy antennas
etc
Multibeam
antennas
Radiata builds up
staffing
Neil Weste completes
PhD in Adelaide and goes
to USA to Bell Labs,
Symbolics then TLW
Neil Weste writes now
classic book on
CMOS design with KE
Transconductance
Multiplier
Exicom 38 GHz
links
A Cosmic Genealogy
1991 strategy
meeting
John Archer
completes PhD
and goes to USA
Summit taken
over by Datacraft
Terry Percival
completes PhD,
joins AT project
then OTC
Continuing RA
program,
refurbishing
Parkes + NASA +
ESA etc, etc
Foundations
Strategy
Parkes Telescope
completed
Culgoora
Rafioheliograph
Interscan
Defense
contracts
Triune startup
(failed)
Corrugated feed
horn - BMT
Wireless Lan Patent -
O'Sullivan, Percival,
Deane, Ostry, Daniels
Mead Conway
Neil Weste
President of
Symbolics
Radioastronomy
Cochlear implant
Cat videos on smartphones
Allied Forces WWII radar
Credit: Dr Bob Frater AO FAA FTSE
The impact of research is broad and unpredictable

5. Research Impact
• Hammond, R. A. The proboscis mechanism of Acanthocephalus ranae.
J. Exp. Biol. 45, 203–213 (1966).
• 22 citations…
and then a 23rd.

6. Long-term, unpredictable
Research Impact

7. Research impact and integrity
• Research always has impact
• The impact of research is predictably unpredictable
• Because of this we must be able to trust research
• The principles of research integrity:
– make research trustworthy
– can make research excellent
– underpin the positive impact of research
– are the norm

8. The principles of research integrity are
• Honesty, responsibility and accountability in all
aspects of research.
• Professional courtesy and fairness in working with
others.
• Good stewardship of research on behalf of others.
Adapted from the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity
and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

9. Research integrity / Accepted and responsible research practice
Adherence to regulation
Working safely
Demonstration of respect for participants, animals, environment
Rigour and objectivity
Research data management
Sharing research data
Publication and communication of research
Citation of the work of others
Acknowledgment of contributions to research
Authorship
Peer review
Conflict of interest management
Supervision of research trainees
Research integrity education and training
Accuracy in research proposals
Use of research funds
Dual use of research
Raising concerns about the integrity of research
Excellent Conduct Responsible Conduct

10. Responsible research data management
Key responsibilities:
• Made, retained, accessible and secured
• Shared openly and promptly, once confidentiality, ownership and priority are
considered
• Communicated honestly and accurately
• Appropriately cited and permission for use or reuse is obtained
• Clear and accurate records that allow verification or replication by others

11. Research data and records are the ‘gold’ of research
- data in Australian public research is worth at least $1.9b per annum.
Source: Houghton J & Gruen N, Open Research Data Report (2014), http://ands.org.au/resource/cost-benefit.html
Sharing detailed research
data is associated with
increased citation rate
Source: Piwowar HA, Day RS, Fridsma DB (2007) PLoS ONE
2(3): e308. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000308
Data archiving is a good investment
- Investment in data archiving and repositories yields higher return
(resultant publications) per $ spent than spending on grant funding
Source: Piwowar HA et al (2011) Nature
Figure 1. Distribution of 2004–2005 citation
counts of 85 trials by data availability.
Why does it matter?

12. Research is a human
endeavour.
Sometimes researchers make
honest mistakes.
Sometimes researchers
depart from accepted practice
and breach the principles of
research integrity deliberately,
recklessly or negligently.

13. Increasing Departure
Research integrity /
Accepted practice
Responsible
conduct
Excellent
conduct
Questionable
Research Practices
Breach of
research integrity
Research
Misconduct

14. Fabrication
Responsible
conduct Falsification
Plagiarism
Increasing Departure
Research integrity /
Accepted practice
Excellent
conduct
Research
Misconduct
Breach of
research integrity

15. Increasing Deviation/Departure/Breach
Research integrity /
Accepted practice
Research
Misconduct
Inadequate record keeping
Changing design/methods in
response to a funding source
Dropping data points on gut feeling
Inadequate design, method,
analysis or interpretation
Poor reporting of methods
Misleading authorship
Poor reporting of results
Not following ethics approval
Same data in two or more publications
Responsible
conduct
Excellent
conduct
Questionable Research Practices
Conflict of interest
mismanagement
Loss or destruction of data
Avoidable failure to follow
ethics approvals
Falsification
Irreproducible research
Irresponsible authorship
Irresponsible recycling
Irreproducible research
Irreproducible research

16. Research Integrity Advisors
• RIAs provide advice to anyone about the responsible
conduct of research
• RIAs only provide advice
RIAs are
• One of the best things about the Australian Code, and a
requirement of it
• Normally senior researchers however what’s more
important is that an RIA knows how the principles of
research integrity are applied to research practice in their
discipline

17. RIAs and Cultures of Research Integrity
• RIAs clarify expectations by providing advice and
guidance on governance including the Australian Code
• RIAs are a tool for education and training
• The presence and promotion of RIAs to the research
community of an institution sends a message that
research integrity is important

18. RIAs and Advice about Research Data
Management
Current topics in data and research integrity
• Use of research data management plans for all research
• The security of cloud-based storage
• Open data and understanding ownership, ethics,
confidentiality and priority claims
• Use of reporting standards – discipline-based
• Post-publication peer review and images in biosciences

19. Top tips for RIAs
• Initial meeting is important. Respond to contacts quickly.
• Role here is to listen, accept and offer support. Decision
about next steps is up to complainant. Check-in on
yourself afterwards.
• Understand and acknowledge power gradients, gender
issues
• Don’t rush – you don’t need to provide immediate advice
• Are these discussions confidential?

20. RIA Research Data Management Workshop
Scenarios

21. Missing in action…
• A student makes an appointment with you to discuss
some concerns she has about access to data.
• Sarah says that her supervisor, Marie, has left the
university and taken all the data with her.
• Marie is no longer letting Sarah access the data that
Sarah has been using, some of which Sarah collected.

22. • What advice do you give Sarah?
• Who owns research data?
• Can it move between institutions?
• Is this different in STEM and HASS disciplines (generally
speaking)?

23. Strange access…
• A post doc, Geoff, from your department has noticed
some strange access records for a shared database that
he and his colleagues work on. He makes an
appointment to meet with you.
• At the meeting, he reveals that the unusual accessions
used his supervisor’s login details. He also claims that
some of the raw data has been changed, but that none
of this appears on the change log that the research
group maintains.
• It’s his view that the changes make the results of the
research more positive.

24. • What is your advice to the post doc?
• What other considerations cross your mind at this point?
• Is there any action you might take now?

25. Authorship…
• A student appears in your office doorway…
• “I need to talk to you about authorship”
• Grace has been working with Brent on a massive
longitudinal survey project. She’s been part of the
recruitment group, and has been involved in a lot of
preliminary analyses and interpretation of data.
• “I’ve done all this work, and made a huge contribution,
but I’m still not an author on any papers from the group. I
don’t know what else I need to do before I start getting
recognition for the work that I’m doing”

26. • Does Grace have the right idea about data and
authorship? Is there a connection here?
• What is your advice to Grace about what she needs to
do next?
• Is this the same in all disciplines? If it’s different, what
are some of the key differences between disciplines?