Research Integrity
The University of Birmingham is committed to research excellence and to the rigorous pursuit of new knowledge. Every researcher is expected to act with integrity in their work and this means upholding values and high standards of honesty, rigour, transparency, and open communication, as well as respect for all those involved in the research process. This increases public trust in research and creates a healthy research culture and environment.
Epigeum Research Integrity Courses
To supplement the University’s existing guidance and training on research integrity and building on an earlier Epigeum subscription, we now have access to new modules on research integrity and a range of related topics. All research students and staff across disciplinary areas are encouraged to avail of this provision to learn about or refresh their understanding of the issues surrounding research integrity. This informs best practice in research engagement, design, delivery, and dissemination, and is fundamental to the research endeavour.
Accessing the Epigeum courses
To access the Epigeum courses, please visit https://courses.epigeum.com and follow the instructions below:
- Click on the user symbol in the top right-hand corner and select ‘Register’. Complete all the mandatory sections using your UoB staff or student ID and include the token bfab3792 in the relevant field. The University is registered with Epigeum and please tick the box that asks for confirmation of the same. An activation link will be sent to your email address and must be clicked on for access to the course content. Please check your spam folders if the link is not visible in your inbox.
- Once you’ve signed in, the Research Integrity Second Edition course (UK version) will be visible. Click on ‘View Courses'
- Research Integrity Core - Check the dropdown under ‘Show Modules’ to access the 8 courses. These include good research conduct, irresponsible research practices, planning your research, managing and recording your research, data selection, analysis and presentation, scholarly publication, professional responsibilities, and communication, social responsibility and impact.
- Research Integrity Supplementary – Check the dropdown under ‘Show Modules’ to access the 5 courses. These include conflicts of interest, research involving human participants, the care and use of animals in research, intellectual property, and export controls. Some of these courses may be more relevant to research within certain disciplines as compared to others.
Support at the University
The administrative lead for research integrity is Dr Birgit Whitman, Head of Research Governance & Integrity (email: B.Whitman@bham.ac.uk; phone 07814 650 003). Birgit can be consulted for any general queries or issues related to research integrity matters.
If there are specific development sessions on research integrity and related topics that you might like to learn more about and as a follow-up to this course, either face-to-face or virtual sessions can be organised by Birgit and her team. Please get in touch with her to discuss further.