Research integrity requires a lot from all of us in the greater scientific community. As a student researcher, you will find that it means:
- Making thoughtful use of research time by coming to lab on time, prepared to work, being engaged in your work while you are there (not fooling around), and not leaving early;
- Learning to use equipment properly and following the standard operating procedures for the equipment to ensure that the results you obtain are meaningful, that the instrument is maximized, and to ensure the safety of those working around you in the laboratory;
- Carefully recording all your work in your laboratory notebook;
- Asking questions about anything you don’t understand about the procedures you use in lab not just for your own sake but for the safety of others working in the lab around you;
- Sharing and not withholding your research results from other group members so everyone can grow in collective wisdom and understanding and so advance the research mission of your research group;
- Respect all research group members by listening to their ideas, accepting their help when you need it and helping them in turn when they need help with their experiments, and sharing credit with them when it is due;
- Acknowledging and owning up to your personal limitations when you encounter challenges in the research laboratory by not creating, manipulating, erasing, or in any manner altering laboratory data and reporting all of your results to your research advisor; and
- Confronting and not ignoring acts of suspected research misconduct that occur around you.