West Virginia University Political Science Associate Professor Trisha Phillips will host a workshop May 17-18 to bring together a multi-disciplinary group of scholars to discuss best practices in the design, review, and implementation of experimental research in response to recent news of research ethics scandals across the country to provide new opportunities for conversation about the issue.
Political science scholars and research ethicists from across the country will come together for the two-day workshop to share knowledge and experience that will be useful in shaping guidelines for the design and review of experiments in political science.
“It’s not going to be a typical academic conference where people are just coming to present their work,” said Phillips. “The purpose of this workshop is to move the conversation outside of the political science silo and engage research ethicists who work in other fields.” These scholars often have years of interdisciplinary experience, an ability to identify and navigate ethical issues, and knowledge of best practices backed by a trans-disciplinary body of literature.
Topics for discussion include rethinking research related risks and benefits, special issues in consent and deception, new issues in experimental manipulations, randomized controlled trials for policy development, complicity and agency in human subjects regulation, institutional and disciplinary cultures of integrity, and research ethics education.
“Now WVU is part of the proactive conversation about the importance of research integrity in science and academia rather than simply issuing press releases in response to scandals that hit our university,” said Phillips
The workshop is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, and sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Rockefeller School of Politics and Policy, and the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance.
