Ethics and Scientific Integrity for Doctoral Students in Physics

Abstract

This course sensitises doctoral students to ethical issues that may occur during their doctorate. After an introduction to ethics and good scientific practice, students are familiarised with resources that can assist them with ethical decision-making. Students get the chance to apply their knowledge in a context specific to research in physics.

Objective

Doctoral students learn how to identify, analyse and address ethical issues in their own scientific research. In addition, they will reflect on their professional role as scientific researchers.

Content

Part I: A self-paced e-learning course in Moodle consisting of several modules on the foundations of ethics in research: - introduction to moral theory - introduction to ethical issues that occur within scientific research (authorship, cooperation, data use and sharing as well as other aspects that are subject to scientific integrity and good scientific practice). - collecting resources: presentation of a variety of tools and resources that help identify ethical issues - setting up a strategy: example examination of a case regarding its ethical scope - making decisions: presentation of different ways of addressing ethical issues by making hard choices, solving ethical dilemmas and seeking advice. Part II: Two face-to-face workshops focus on applications and physics-specific aspects providing an interactive learning environment. Participants get to apply their knowledge, and they are encouraged to reflect on ethical problems and to critically discuss them with fellow doctoral students. The workshops consist of several modules on: - ethics introduction - dilemma discussions - case analyses - group work and discussions - role plays - sustainability aspects - dialogues with supervisor

Resources