Research integrity support in the system of university governance: experience of the UK

Abstract

In the process of modernizing the national higher education, the emphasis on the need to form a culture of academic integrity in the university environment has become one of the key trends, as evidenced by the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" (2014), the Law of Ukraine "On Education" (2017, ), The Law of Ukraine "On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activity" (2016) and other documents. The formation of a culture of research integrity in the university environment is intended to overcome the crisis of academic integrity, which is observed today in Ukraine and is caused by many factors. An analysis of the experience of the UK as one of the world-leading leaders of higher education in support of research integrity in the system of university governance is relevant to determine the guidelines in the process of forming a culture of research integrity. The purpose of the article is to identify positive experience in providing research integrity in the university environment for its possible implementation in the system of higher education of Ukraine. To achieve this goal, the methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, systematization of scientific and Internet sources were used, which allowed to identify the peculiarities of supporting research integrity in the system of research management in the universities of Great Britain. The application of the generalization method made it possible to draw conclusions about the results of the study. The article substantiates the relevance of the analysis of experience in support of research integrity in the system of university governance of one of the world-leading leaders of higher education - Great Britain. The experience of maintaining high ethical standards in studies in the UK at the national and institutional levels has been analyzed. The main provisions of the key documents developed by the British Research Aid Office, which can be used to develop policies and procedures at Ukrainian universities, are described. Summarizing the information provided by leading UK universities to provide research integrity at the institutional level, it has made it possible to distinguish the following features: the existence of clear, open policies and procedures for ensuring research integrity, their continuous improvement; transparency and accountability of procedures for adhering to the principles of integrity in research; creation of opportunities in the university environment for training and professional development of researchers on the issue of research integrity; University collaboration with partner institutions both at the national and international levels.