EACME Newsletter, 2022;61:16-18.

An Innovative Approach to Ethics in Research, the Embassy of Good Science VIRT²UE Programme, impressions from Acibadem University Experience

Yesim Isil Ulman * (*)

Science proceeds by taking responsibility towards human health and society and within a relationship of mutual trust with society (1). The setting in which this can actually occur is scientific research. In this framework, the principle of research integrity and protection of values are of capital importance and fundamental quality (2). Based on this idea, a training project, VIRT²UE Programme (3), has been developed in the form of blended learning, which adapts the Virtue Ethics Theory to Research Ethics in an interactive training format. The philosophical basis of this programme is founded on Virtue Ethics which was developed by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384–322 BC).

Virtue may be described as a character trait that is perfect. It can be recognised as a way of behaving in which our choices, approaches and behaviours as well as our actions are meticulous, careful and illuminated by specific qualities. To be a virtuous person, one needs to possess a sophisticated and complex mindset. This mindset calls for certain qualities when deciding to act. A person who shows the virtue of integrity is a person who, by internally accepting rationally the concept of not telling lies, and by internalising an orientation towards the truth, weighs an issue with rational judgement, and acts accordingly (4).

The VIRT²UE Train the Trainer Programme on Research Integrity was supported between the years 2018 and 2021, coordinated by Amsterdam University VUMC, under the scope of the European Union Horizon 2020 projects. It has an innovative format that was produced through intensive teamwork in order to supply the necessary knowledge and skills for a research ethics course (3). After the accomplishment of the project in 2021, the VIRT²UE Programme and the ENTIRE, another European Commission funded programme, united and developed the Embassy of Good Science internet sharing platform (5).

The Embassy of Good Science, the most permanent and comprehensive product to come out of the project, became available for access by the whole world at the end of 2020. The aim was to establish and operate a basic Wiki resource that acts with objective, transparent, trustworthy, accessible, scientific and ethical principles and virtues for every research project and researcher. This is a universal platform which is open to everyone who would like to receive information and gain experience about research applications and ethical principles. The platform provides guides, cases involving real life experiences, research tools and educational materials. In addition to gaining experience in depth, expressing problems encountered, bringing up queries and consultancy, it developed a comprehensive and neatly designed training programme (the VIRT²UE Train the Trainer Programme on Integrity in Research) (6).   

The VIRT2UE Programme is primarily educational, and teaches how to reflect on ethical virtue and concepts in scientific research, to understand and solve dilemmas. It clarifies the concepts in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (7) and provides education on how to apply it in the context of a specific research event. This is a train the trainer course which is undertaken in various European centres. The Embassy of Good Science internet sharing platform offers participants, who are about to provide training in their own university and academic working environments, knowledge of content, exercises and materials that apply the information.

This paper aims to give a brief overview of the practice of the Embassy of Good Science VIRT²UE Research Integrity training in Istanbul Acibadem University, as a stakeholder of the overall project (8). The VIRT²UE Research Integrity Programme is for researchers planning or conducting research in many disciplines within the scope of health, social and natural sciences, whether face-to-face or able to be conducted remotely in an online environment. It enables decisions in the course of scientific work to be taken that are good and correct from an ethical perspective. It has been structured to raise awareness of situations and conditions which may put this environment under threat and which could cause a loss of value, and to develop ethical approaches and skills that can overcome these dilemmas (9).

In some universities within Turkey, as occurs in many European countries, the VIRT²UE Research Ethics Programme is implemented by trainers trained within the scope of the Project (3). It aims to develop the knowledge and skills of students, to weigh the transformative effect on ethical decision-making in students and to evaluate the approach and the sustainability of the value gained. It is carried out by VIRT²UE trainers who have completed the course and basic training components. Acıbadem University Health Sciences Institute Bioethics MSc Programme in Istanbul is one of the centres that provides this training for the volunteering graduate students (10).

The VIRT²UE Research Ethics Training has been integrated into the Bioethics Master Programme in Acibadem University to serve at both Fall and in Spring midterms every academic year. It is open for graduate students of health sciences, natural sciences and social sciences since the year 2021. The number of graduate students trained both at Fall and Spring mid-terms during the 2021-2022 Academic Year is 40, including 2 trained trainees. The class get prepared by online modules, videos and tasks provided via the Embassy of Good Science Platform before the start of training, and the students fulfil some tasks during the practice of exercises to make them benefit from the active learning. Participants receive certificate of the Embassy of Good Science VIRT²UE Training at the end of the course.

Five fundamental exercises have been developed to enable the researchers or graduate students to analyse ethical dilemmas and conflicts they encounter in their professional lives, to foster reflection and to come out with a solution after this process:

1-) Self Declaration Approach (regarding being a good researcher);

2-) Dialogue versus Debate

3-) Virtues and Norms

4-) Middle Position

The essence of the application is based on practising real cases, learning by doing, noticing the dilemma in the context of research ethics, expressing this dilemma, analysing in the light of a series of virtues inspired by virtue ethics, developing methods of solution, assuming different viewpoints while undertaking analysis,  being able to continue the discussion by establishing a dialogue and, by becoming aware and knowledgable from the input of others' viewpoints in the environment and at a moment of dialogue, being able to find a balancing middle position and practising converting a debate into a dialogical resolution (12). The trainees receiving this training should be able to improve professional skills to develop virtuous personalities; to act by reaping the benefits of virtues in concrete situations, and to be able to relate the principles in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity to the virtues in concrete cases. 

Our experience indicate that the trainees attain insight to discover the conflicting norms and underlying values, as well as to become aware of virtues in concrete situations. This enables the trainer to cultivate values in research ethics, to facilitate evolving character in research integrity, and consequently to help develop knowledge and skills for acting virtuously in research ethics environment. 

In conclusion, the Embassy of Good Science VIRT2UE Train the Trainer Programme offers a professional approach to research ethics. It creates enthusiasm for research integrity by means of its enjoyable methodology and rich content. It provides efficiency in practice-based teaching. It benefits from philosophical background of Virtue Ethics. It receives strongly positive feedback from the students who enjoy learning ethics by doing and like exploring diverse viewpoints. The Programme enriches influence of interdisciplinarity in the academy. Finally, it is good to become part of a network of trainers for research integrity and ethics, worldwide. 

References:

1- World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving H uman Subjects (Accessed on 15.08.2022).

2- Pennock, R. T. & O’Rourke, M. Developing a Scientific Virtue-Based Approach to Science Ethics Training. Sci. Eng. Ethics 2017; 23, 243–262.

3- Horizon 2020 VIRT2UE Research Integrity Train the Trainer Programme https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/787580   (Accessed on 15.08.2022)

4- Hursthouse, R&  Pettigrove G. Virtue Ethics, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2018 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2018/entries/ethics-virtue/  (Accessed on 15.08.2022).

5- The Embassy of Good Science, Your platform for research integrity and ethics https://embassy.science/wiki/Main_Page (Accessed on 15.08.2022)

6- The Embassy of Good Science, Training, Guides, materials and a community that support training on research integrity and ethics. https://embassy.science/wiki/Training (Accessed on 15.08.2022)

7- The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity by ALLEA Group https://www.allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ALLEA-European-Code-of-Conduct-for-Research-Integrity-2017.pdf  Original version in English Published in Berlin 2017 (Accessed on 15.08.2022).

8- EU Horizon 2020 VIRT²UE Train the Trainer Programme, Istanbul Acıbadem University, as a stakeholder https://www.acibadem.edu.tr/en/news/horizon-2020-the-virt2ue-train-the-trainer-program   (Accessed on 15.08.2022)

9- Solbakk, JH. What is it to do good medical ethics? One the concepts of “good” and “goodness” in medical ethics. J Med Ethics 2015; 41: 12-16.

10- Acibadem University School of Medicine Historty of Medicine & Ethics Department also leads Bioethics MSc Programme under the Health Sciences Graduate School https://www.acibadem.edu.tr/en/academic/undergraduate-programs/school-of-medicine/academic-units/departments-of-basic-sciences/history-of-medicine-and-ethics   (Accessed on 15.08.2022).

11- VIRT2UE Training Guide https://embassy.science/wiki/Guide:Bbe860a3-56a9-45f7-b787-031689729e52 (Accessed on 15.08.2022).

12- Widdershoven G, Abma T, Molewijk B. Empirical Ethics as Dialogical Practice, Bioethics,  2009; 23(4):236–248 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.2009.01712.x