Dear Colleagues:
The beginning of the new year is a good time for reflection. Questions about the role of science and scholarship have put research universities increasingly under the microscope of regulatory bodies, the press, and the public. As PIs and scholars, it is our job to push the boundaries of knowledge to enrich the human experience and to benefit society, but the new and sometimes harsh visibility requires renewed self-examination. We must work to make sure that we conduct ourselves according to the highest ethical standards.
OVPR supports your efforts by providing the annual Researcher Responsibilities memo, but the comprehensiveness and complexity of the memo may cause many of you to lose focus on what is really important. I write today to reiterate three basic principles and to urge all of us to rededicate ourselves to living them.
1) Freedom from conflict of interest, outside influence and bias
Through conflict management plans, university oversight of outside support, and self-examination, we must work to make sure our research and scholarship meet clear ethical standards.
2) Transparency
By requesting prior approval for outside professional activities and disclosing our connections to outside entities and the sources of our research funding, we allow all to see that we are aware of the potential for influence and will strive to mitigate it. By preserving and giving public access to our results, our analyses, and our data, we foster a robust intellectual environment where ideas and conclusions can be debated fairly. Please request prior approval or update your disclosure profile in UTRMS-COI.
3) Care for others
By treating colleagues, students, and staff with fairness and respect, by ensuring the ethical treatment of human and animal subjects, and by carefully maintaining confidentiality when called for, we honor our fellow human beings and the world we live in and recognize the impact of our research on our country, our society, and the environment.
As the history of New Year’s resolutions tells us, we don’t always follow through on our good intentions. The disclosures discussed in OVPR’s PI memo can help you meet the basic responsibilities mentioned above. I urge you to re-examine your situation and make adjustments to and disclosures of conflicts and outside employment as necessary. You can use the Researcher Responsibilities memo as a resource: Click the “Read and Acknowledge” button, check boxes relevant to you, and the page will generate information customized to your circumstances.
Thank you for working with us to keep UT a leader in scholarship and research while it maintains the highest ethical standards.
Sincerely,
