Published:
Foundation
At UNL, academic integrity education is based on GRDC 98, an online course in the responsible conduct of research. Since its release last fall, more than 4,000 faculty, staff, and students have completed the course. Intended to provide a common basis in academic integrity topics that apply to every discipline, GRDC 98 doesn't delve into many discipline-specific details. For example, several case studies are presented, but they may differ from the particular circumstances in which you may find yourself.
By its nature, GRDC 98 is lacking the critical components of face-to-face interaction, a chance for personal reflection, and plans for application.
Resources
Fortunately, GRDC 98 is just one item in the extensive catalog of academic integrity resources at UNL. Here are just a few examples: Speak with a mentor (not necessarily your major advisor) about your concerns or interests—how a particular principle of RCR (such as authorship) is typically applied in your academic discipline, for example. The UNL Ethics Center hosts graduate student brownbag discussions each month and maintains an extensive ethics library—both physical (Avery Hall) and digital.
Many academic departments have courses in Professionalism or Research Ethics. Refer to the Graduate Bulletin or your graduate secretary for details.
The Office of Graduate Studies also offers a graduate seminar course (GRDC 901) that fosters individualized face-to-face discussion. It's offered in Fall or Spring semesters, according to demand. Send inquiries to graduate@unl.edu.
Expansion
We're excited to announce a new brownbag series built around the Office of Research Integrity's newly-released interactive movie, The Lab. We'll alternately follow and guide the movie characters in a true-to-life scenario that's structured like a choose-your-own-adventure story, in which our choices affect both the narrative and the outcome. Details on place and time will be announced later this month. We hope to see you in The Lab this fall!