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Review of the Joint NHMRC / AVCC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (1997) and development of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

This information has been provided here for archival purposes only. Please see the recently revised Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

In order to review the NHMRC/AVCC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (the Statement), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Universities Australia (previously known as the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee (AVCC)) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) established a Joint Working Group.

In conducting the review, the JWG had carriage of two major projects:

  1. revising the Statement, and
  2. identification of models designed to facilitate the investigation and management of research misconduct across all spheres of research.

This web page provides information on:

A. Revising the Statement

In order to revise the Statement, a draft document entitled the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research was circulated and public consultations were held in two stages.

The draft document was intended to have broad relevance across all research disciplines and to clearly delineate the separate but complementary responsibilities of institutions and researchers. It commenced with an outline of the general principles of responsible research and provided detailed advice on:

  • the management of research data and records management;
  • authorship;
  • publication and dissemination of research findings;
  • supervisory responsibilities;
  • conflict of interest;
  • collaborative research; and
  • peer review.

The draft document also defined research misconduct and provided a framework for handling allegations of research misconduct. The Joint Working Group considered all submissions made from the second round of public consultation when finalising the document.

The review of the Statement has now been finalised and the replacement document, called the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code), will provide a valuable tool for use by Australian researchers in their continued efforts to maintain high standards of research integrity.

Contact Details

Contact the NHMRC secretariat by phone on 02 6217 9415 or email researchcode@nhmrc.gov.au

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B. Mechanisms for investigating allegations of research misconduct

The JWG held a Workshop for invited participants in August 2005. Presentations made at the Workshop are provided below.

» Dr Greg Koski - Exploring Integrity in Science Down Under (PDF 392kb) pdf file
» Dr Harvey Marcovitch - The European Experience (PDF 92kb) pdf file
» Dr Kerry Breen - Dealing with Research Misconduct Allegations (PDF 294kb) pdf file
» Dr Mandy Thomas - How the US National Science Foundation Manages Research Misconduct
(PDF 364kb) pdf file
» Prof Warwick Anderson - The Australian Research Context (PDF 104kb) pdf file
» Prof Pip Hamilton - Managing Allegations of Research Misconduct Issues for Universities
(PDF 135kb) pdf file
» Prof Stephen Parker - Research Misconduct Some Legal, Regulatory and Design Issues
(PDF 295kb) pdf file
» Prof Warwick Anderson - Options for Managing Research Misconduct (PDF 131kb) pdf file

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C. Membership of the Joint Working Group

Members of the JWG are:

  • Chair
    Professor Warwick Anderson
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
    Professor Anthony Jorm
    Dr Kerry Breen
  • Australian Research Council (ARC)
     Dr Andrew Smith (September 2003 – August 2004)
    Dr Mandy Thomas
  • Universities Australia
    Professor Pip Hamilton
    Professor Elspeth McLachlan

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D. Further information

Second Round Consultation

The second draft of the revised Statement (now referred to as the Draft Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research - February 2006) was made available for public consultation. The period for submissions closed on 5 May 2006.

» Download: Australian code for the responsible conduct of research Second consultation draft February 2006 - (PDF 276kb) pdf file
» Download: Australian code for the responsible conduct of research Second consultation draft February 2006 - (RTF 1.1mb) word file

First Round Consultation

The first draft of the revised Statement (now referred to as the Draft Australian Code for Conducting Research – 2004) was made available for public consultation. The period for submission of responses to this draft concluded on 1 April 2005.

» Download: Draft Australian Code for Conducting Research (2004) - in PDF (276kb) pdf file
» Download: Draft Australian Code for Conducting Research (2004) - in RTF (1.1mb) word file

Joint NHMRC / AVCC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (1997)

» Joint NHMRC / AVCC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (1997)

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