Research Exemplars Selected and Interviewed—Bios are Now Online!

P.I. Program faculty, Drs. Alison Antes and James DuBois, sought to identify and study the habits of research exemplars—individuals who are doing high-impact, federally funded research while enjoying a reputation for research integrity. The project was supported by Dr. Antes’ NIH K01 award and the P.I. Program.

The project involved a rigorous nomination and selection process. Exemplars were nominated by at least two individuals—usually a research administrator and a research colleague. Nomination forms described the nominees’ high-impact research and how they exemplify research integrity. All nominations were accompanied by a curriculum vitae. A team of 9 diverse researchers divided the task of peer reviewing nominations. In the end, 52 individuals were selected as exemplars and were interviewed, including 29 exemplars from the biomedical sector, and 23 exemplars from the STEM sector.

Exemplars were very generous with their time, dedicating on average more than 1 hour to the phone interviews. The Research Exemplars webpage provides a brief bio for each participant. Interviews explored the traits, experiences, and work habits that help to explain why these individuals are considered exemplars. Papers from the project will be published in 2018.

With funding from the U.S. Office of Research Integrity, P.I. Program faculty will also compare the work habits of research exemplars to those of P.I. Program participants to explore whether any habits in particular might be valuable in avoiding lapses in research integrity or compliance.