Responsible Conduct of Research#
The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 was first developed for medical sciences to establish a framework for responsible research conduct. It is now applied to all disciplines and has been adopted by most institutions, as its aim is to make sure scientific research is of high-quality, trustworthy and ethical. Potential breaches of the code are investigated following the Investigation guide.
More information is available on the NHMRC website, including the supplementary guides developed with the ARC and Universities Australia. Each supplementary guide focuses on one aspect of research work. The guides clearly define institutional and researcher responsibilities.
In regard to producing and publishing data and software the most relevant is the Management of Data and Information in Research guide. This is just an extract of the researcher responsibilities:
In accordance with the Code, researchers must adhere to their institution’s policies related to management of data and information, relevant laws, regulations and guidelines, and research discipline-specific practices and standards.
The responsibilities of researchers with respect to management of data and information in research should be clear from the beginning of a research project. The development of a data management plan for this purpose is strongly encouraged.
Under the Code, researchers will:
R22 - Retain clear, accurate, secure and complete records of all research including research data and primary materials. Where possible and appropriate, allow access and reference to these by interested parties.
Each guide also clearly states it is a researcher responsibility to engage with relevant training.
Other relevant guides are: