Stewarding the Human Good: Understanding the Nature of Research and Its Ethical Horizons
Author: Gabriele, Edward
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ethics,Research Administration,Leadership,Cultural Pluralism,Global Approach,Theory Practice Relationship,Institutional Mission,Interdisciplinary Approach,Sciences,Ethical Instruction,Integrity,Scholarship

Research administration and leadership, above all, directly serve the needs of researchers, scientists, research programs, institutions and their leaders, and the public trust itself. Research administration is therefore an expansive and all encompassing profession. It  integrates all of the diverse arts and sciences that are foundational to leadership and service in the management and strategic development of research. Such areas include policy formulation, leadership science, organizational psychology, financial management and oversight, regulatory compliance, and critically needed tactical areas. However, the foundations of research administration also include other areas that are sometimes assumed. Research administrators need to develop an appreciation for and understanding of the actual academic or scholarly areas of the research being conducted. There is a need to understand the art of publication practices and scholarly writing. Communication arts are critical. For international research efforts, it is essential to understand the underpinnings of multiculturalism and the processes of paradigm shifting that occur in global partnerships. For the future advancement of the research portfolio of the individual program or institution, there is a need to gain some level of the arts and sciences of programmatic development. Of particular importance here is a need to understand the overwhelming power of ethics as it touches upon nearly every aspect of the act of research and its administration. This article explores dynamic interrelationship between research and ethics, as it is critical that research administrators understand the nature of research itself.  The article suggests that Education in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) can assist greatly in this regard. To achieve successfully the goals of ethics and of regulatory compliance in research, the ongoing RCR education of researchers and research administrators requires an appreciation of the nature of research and its fundamental definition, regardless of the actual disciplines involved or the levels of programmatic research to be explored. What the author terms the four "iQualities" are explored: (1) Research as Integral to Human Development; (2) Research as Integrated within Institutional Mission; (3) Research as Interdisciplinary; and (4) Research and Internationalization. The article concludes by stating that it is the appreciation of the cultural nature of research and the role of scientific integrity that are central to avoiding problems related to research misconduct or any form of non-compliance that erodes the ethical nature of research and its importance for human respect, beneficence, and justice. All members of a research program or institution must reflect carefully on how individuals can understand, protect, and promote in an ongoing manner the culture that is research and the proper ends of research endeavors on behalf of the public trust.