31 January 2020 — Ensuring that its faculty, students, and staff across all disciplines conduct their research responsibly, UP Manila responds by holding research integrity orientation workshops in the different colleges and institutions throughout the year.

Led by the Committee of Research Integrity, the initial orientation workshop is targeted at UPM deans, associate deans for research, chairs, and assistant chairs for research which will be held on February 3 at the UPM Social Hall.

The topics covered in this workshop are Introduction to Research Integrity, Epidemiology of Research Misconduct, Case Presentations, and the Need for an Office of Research Integrity. The orientation will be interactive and will include scenario discussions with the participants.

Announcement for the location and dates of the orientation throughout the campus to follow soon.

What is Research Integrity?

“Research integrity (RI) is active adherence to the principles and standards essential for the responsible conduct of research; spanning the entire research process from inception up to publication and dissemination.”

Dr. Edward Wang referencing to the difference of an office of research integrity from the UPM Research Ethics Board (UPMREB) wherein the latter’s role is to ensure that methods proposed in a research protocol are ethical.

Dr. Wang, the committee chair, said that the top three violations that compromise the integrity of research are fabrication of data, falsification of data, and plagiarism, or FFP. Others that are less serious are called Questionable Practice of Research.

“That is why we are emphasizing the education campaign so that we can increase awareness and thereby help prevent it. And as we carry out the caravan, we hope to eventually identify a point person in every college to champion this.”

Apart from raising awareness, the committee is working towards becoming an office by 2021 which will function as an investigating body for any violations and determine subsequent action plans. Being a leading research university, the Chancellor felt the time was ripe for the UP Manila to develop an RI office, none of which any of the other UP CUs have.

“We do not yet have a research integrity office in the entire country. It’s something new. Universities abroad with mature research processes and base mostly have their own RI office and UP Manila, among the UP system units, is probably the most advanced in terms of research.”

Other members of the Committee of Research Integrity are Dr. Jacinto Blas Mantaring, UPMREB chair, Dr. Jean Anne Toral, head of EHRO of PGH, Dr. Kathyrn Reyes, Associate Dean for Research, CPH, and Prof Marilen Balolong, Associate Dean for Research, CAS.

Anne Marie Alto