Research Integrity Education Caravan 6

One of the missions of the University of the Philippines Manila is “To serve as a research hub by conducting integrative and collaborative research contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge”. As the country’s leading institution in research, UP Manila researchers should possess the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct research that conforms to academic and scientific standards. In this regard, the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), in pursuit of its commitment to continuously capacitate researchers within the University, partnered with the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) for face-to-face conduct of Research Integrity Education Caravan 6 on September 22, 2023, Friday, from 9:00 am to 12:00 nn at 8th Floor, Social Hall, PGH Building. 

This Research Integrity Education Caravan also significantly contributed to the 26th Anniversary celebration and milestone of the Research, Extension, and Professional Staff Association (REPSA) of UP Manila. REPS from different units/colleges/offices were invited to attend the 4-hour education caravan to promote and enhance research integrity practices. The HRDO collaborated with the members of ORI  to significantly enrich the discussions and provide valuable insights to REPS in strengthening their research capabilities and fostering a culture of responsible research conduct.

Dr. Christopher Jay Robidillo and Ms. Valerie Guinto, MS, MSc, MHM, led the face-to-face training as moderators. Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla formally opened the program through a video recording of her welcoming remarks. She highlighted the importance of research integrity in all departments and units to ensure the credibility of the outputs of the University. She also emphasized that the applications of research ethics is relevant to different professions, which makes the training essential to be conducted regularly.

Vice Chancellor for Academics Dr. Nymia Simbulan gave a message for the REPSA where she acknowledged their resilience, innovativeness, and productive engagement with various sectors within and outside the University as demonstrated by their remarkable performance at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She commended their adaptivity in performing their functions that support research and public service that contribute to the University and society. Dr. Nymia also mentioned that she looks forward to the continuous recognition and support that the REPSA is receiving as the University welcomes its new administration.

To jumpstart the training, Vice Chancellor for Research and the Director of the Office of Research Integrity, Dr. Edward Wang, gave an introduction to the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) to give the participants background on the history of how the ORI was established and the programs and services the office offers. This was followed by a discussion about research integrity and research ethics presented by Dr. Jacinto Blas Mantaring III, including the various forms of research misconduct, such as fabrication and falsification. Dr. Erwin William Leyva presented the causes, consequences and solutions related to plagiarism, identified as another research misconduct. Dr. Jean Anne Toral discussed examples of inappropriate authorship, authorship to contributorship, and the ways to promote integrity in scientific publications. The second part of the education caravan was led by Dr. Joanna Orejola, where she presented the definition and spectrum of predatory practices and the growth and prevalence of predatory journals and conferences. The last part of the discussion focused on how researchers should respond and address the use of Chat-GPT in relation to research integrity which Dr. Edward Wang presented through a video recording. 

As a form of learning application, participants were divided into four groups for an interactive case discussion facilitated by Sir Adrian Paul Agravante, REPSA President. For this activity, cases related to research integrity were given to the four groups which they discussed among their groups and presented to the plenary afterward. The cases for each group were Authorship (Case 1), Authorship, validity, and predatory journal (Case 2),  Plagiarism (Case 3) and Fabrication (Case 4). Sir Rufus Thomas Adducul formally closed the training by synthesizing the 6th research integrity education caravan.