Development of consensus on essential virtues for ethics and research integrity training using a modified Delphi...

Area of Science:

• Research Integrity
• Ethics Education
• Virtue Ethics

Background:

• Current ethics and research integrity (ERI) training often emphasizes rules and duties, neglecting virtue-based ethics.
• There is a need to identify and integrate essential virtues into ERI training for improved research conduct.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve expert consensus on the importance of specific virtues for ERI training.
• To identify key virtues and effective methods for their acquisition in research settings.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi consensus process involving 31 and 23 ERI experts across three rounds.
• Development of a structured questionnaire based on qualitative data from Round 1.
• Consensus building on 90 statements related to virtues and their acquisition.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on two-thirds of the statements evaluated.
• Experts agreed that virtues are learned, reflected attitudes.
• A consensus identified 35 scientific virtues crucial for ERI training, with honesty, integrity, accountability, criticism, and fairness highlighted as most essential.

Conclusions:

• Continuing education utilizing case studies and real-life scenarios is the recommended approach for acquiring research virtues.
• ERI training programs should be developed or adjusted to incorporate the identified essential scientific virtues.
• Prioritizing virtues like honesty and integrity is critical for fostering good research practice.