Cases of fraud, concerns over the prevalence of questionable research practices, and controversies about the replicability of studies have recently fuelled a debate about fundamental aspects of psychological research. To discuss these issues, their causes and possible solutions, 23 PhD. and Master students gathered in Utrecht on December 4 for a workshop on research ethics, organised for the NVP by Maarten Derksen and Richard Morey. The four speakers each discussed a different aspect of research ethics. Jelte Wicherts spoke about questionable research practices such as HARKing and p-hacking, and how sharing data can help to reduce this problem. Rolf Zwaan focussed on replication and emphasised that its primary purpose is not to check the original results, but to build on them. Richard Morey’s talk centred on intellectual honesty, making the point that you can only honestly make a claim, if you understand the statistical methods behind it. Finally, Maarten Derksen discussed how best to react when confronted with questionable research practices, and how to raise the issue with colleagues. Each talk was followed by lively discussion, which continued on the online discussion forum of the workshop. We asked the participants to fill out anonymous evaluation forms and give us their opinion about the workshop. Most were very positive and would recommend it to others. All in all, we look back on a very inspiring workshop.
NVP workshop on research ethics
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