The Teaching Scholars Program: a proposed approach for promoting research integrity

All research environments are not created equal. They possess their own unique communication style, culture, and professional mores. Coupled with these distinct professional nuances is the fact that research collaborations today span not only a campus, but also the globe. While the opportunities for cross cultural collaborations are invaluable, they may present challenges that result in misunderstandings about how a research idea should be studied and the findings presented. Such misunderstandings are sometimes found at the center of research misconduct cases. And yet in light of highly visible cases of research misconduct, the attitude about ensuring research integrity remains rather opaque. This paper discusses the merits of the Teaching Scholars Program as a mechanism by which to promote research integrity. This paper will examine this education program against the backdrop of the US Office of Research Integrity (ORI), as an established office responsible for ensuring the integrity of federally funded biomedical and behavioral research.