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Draft guidelines from National Health and Medical Research Council call for openness, inclusivity and respect
Institutions funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council should develop “an inclusive and open research culture conducive to high-quality research”, according to a proposed set of guidelines.
The NHMRC’s Good Institutional Practice Guide would require institutions to address their internal culture and come up with clear ways to improve.
A draft of the guide was released on 16 May and the council is asking for sector feedback.
In the guide, the council says it wants to see institutions develop “open, honest, supportive and respectful cultures” and “enhance” the quality of the research it funds. The guide also aims to help institutions highlight “initiatives that improve research quality”.
“Researchers are more likely to thrive and produce high-quality research when their institution has a positive working environment and culture,” the guide says.
It defines research culture broadly, including good technical practices along with “values” such as care, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. The importance of leadership and clear policies is also emphasised.
Culture concerns
“Recent surveys of the Australian research sector highlighted concerns about education and training in good research practices, research integrity, mentorship, unhealthy competition, publishing pressures, promotion assessment processes, funding and costs, job insecurity and questionable research practices,” the guide says.
Further values in the guide include ethical behaviour, intellectual freedom and open and transparent publication of “all aspects of research” where possible.
It suggests that institutions should consider setting up mentoring programmes, ensuring leaders exemplify model values and examining poor research practices elsewhere for their potential lessons. Researchers engaging in studies involving humans and animals should be required to demonstrate they have the required skills and knowledge, it says.
The guide was developed by the NHMRC’s research quality steering committee, which focuses on good practices and open science. The committee is chaired by Bond University professor Paul Glasziou.
Submissions are open until 10 July and must be made via the council’s online survey.