Risks of research: Office helps maintain research integrity

One of Penn State’s key components in its mission is research. The University handles innovative research every day in a long list of areas making it one of the nation’s top research institutions.

Since 1990, the Office of Research Protections (located in the Kern Graduate Building) has run the research review process for Penn State and most of its commonwealth campuses. It also has provided training, education and workshop services for both professional and student research projects.
 
The office aims to help Penn State conduct its research by facilitating a culture of accountability and responsibility within the research community and promote trust and respect among the researchers, public and the office’s committees.

“There are some really smart people out there doing some great research,” Candice Yekel, director of the Office of Research Protections, said. “I enjoy research and thinking about its issues and I like helping the talented researchers at Penn State succeed.”

From arctic ice cores to residences of small, Third World countries, Penn State researchers have spanned the globe to endorse the University’s research mission of expanding the knowledge of areas within many academic areas.

With each of these groundbreaking studies comes many degrees of risk. Whether a research project studies the lifestyle of the average college student or the lifestyle of the ancient caveman, certain designed precautions must be made to reduce risk and maximize success.

All of the research that comes out of Penn State must go through Yekel’s office. Research Protections oversees the review process, as well as provides guidance on issues like research integrity. The office has six review committees that ensure Penn State research is conducted in accordance to federal, state and local regulations and guidelines.

“By evaluating the risks of research you can minimize risk and maximize benefits,” Yekel said.

Many issues must be addressed when the office receives a research request. Will there be human subjects? Animal use? Will there be blood sampling? What survey questions are being asked? Research conduct and proper data collection are other areas the office’s review committees must evaluate.

“There is no question that research is an invaluable asset and important part of our mission at Penn State,” Risk Officer Gary Langsdale said. “The Office of Research Protections is just another example of the benefits people create by assessing risks.”

The office’s goals don’t stop at approving or rejecting research requests. The office provides training and educational courses for Penn State and the research community. Some of the courses include workshops on researching human subjects and information sessions on the ins and outs of conducting a proper research project.

For more information on risk awareness and risk assessment at the University, visit http://www.controller.psu.edu/Divisions/RiskManagement/. Risk-related articles will be compiled on this site for further reading on the topic.