Maintain High Ethical Standards

1. Maintain High Ethical Standards

2. Always Keep in Mind Your Responsibilities To the Larger Society Seek to develop solutions/research/programs that are best for the general welfare To Your Program or Research Participants Always adhere to IRB regulations To Your Profession and Professional Colleagues To Yourself – Maintain Personal Integrity

3. Your Responsibilities to the Larger Society Continually update your professional competency Never discriminate based on race, gender, age, religion, sexual preference, etc. Never engage in fraud or deception Never misrepresent yourself or your program/research Maintain consistency between “private” and “public” behaviors

4. Your Responsibility to Your Program and/or Research Participants Become knowledgeable about the IRB Process Click here to visit the USU IRB website Adhere to IRB guidelines, rules and regulations Complete the USU IRB process before engaging in research IRB

5. Your Responsibilities to Program/Research Participants Participants come first Participants should make own decisions about participation Informed consent is essential before participation occurs Parental consent for those under 18 is necessary for participants Cultural and other competencies are essential for you and staff Conflict of interest should be avoided Privacy and confidentiality must be respected Sexual harassment and relationships are prohibited Derogatory/offensive relationships are taboo Fair and reasonable remuneration for research participants should be approved by IRB The interests of those who can’t make own decisions are protected

6. Your Responsibilities to Your Profession and Yourself Avoid hypocrisy and never fall to social pressure. Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Maintain integrity of profession Adhere to standards consistent with USU Extension Rules, Objectives, etc. Engage in accurate research and/or evaluation of your program Do VALID research Learn how to do VALID research Abide by IRB regulations

7. Your Responsibility to do Research – Valid Research • Programs (even GREAT programs) must be evidence-based to ensure you are using monies wisely • Always use valid indicators to measure objectives • Never extrapolate beyond your data — You must have a sample if you generalize findings to a population • NEVER FORGET: No matter how • sophisticated your data analysis, • “trash in – trash out”!

8. Your Responsibility to Your Colleagues Respect colleagues No gossip Attack issues – not people Maintain Confidentiality Seek Interdisciplinary Collaboration Clarify responsibilities and ethical obligations Seek cooperative rather than competitive relationships Don’t engage in Sexual Harassment and Relationships Encourage Colleagues – especially junior faculty Report fraud, if necessary Invite junior faculty to collaborate .

9. Avoid the Following Pitfalls When Evaluating Your Program • DON’T: • Trust case examples rather than research as proof that program is meeting objectives • Trust individual testimonials as proof that program is meeting objectives • Trust own subjective • experience/estimates • as proof that program is • meeting objectives

10. Avoid the Following Pitfalls When • Evaluating A Program • DON’T: • Present only the strengths of your program • Yield to pressure from a granting agency to present information in a more positive, but inaccurate light • Use anything other than empirical indicators to evaluate program • For instance: • NEVER report a program /idea as good simply because it’s new • NEVER report a program/idea as good simply because it’s “been around” for a while. • NEVER argue that your program is meeting its objectives just because it is “uplifting” or “inspiring”

11. Avoid the Following Pitfalls When Writing Research Reports or Journal Articles • DON’T: • Always believe what you read in the literature • Know how to evaluate past research • Use caution when dealing with projections • Extrapolate beyond your data/sample • Attempt to PROVE your research hypothesis is TRUE — You can only provide evidence to support research hypothesis • Yield to pressures from the granting agency to present information in a more positive, but less accurate light

12. Avoid the Following Pitfalls When Writing Research Reports or Journal Articles • DON’T: • Trust case examples rather than research • Trust your own subjective observations/opinions to “estimate” numbers • Trust individual testimonials as fact

13. Adhere to These Values When Implementing Your Program Service and Equity - Seek to help people in need Social Justice - Provide basic rights, protection, opportunities, obligations and social benefits to all participants Human Relationships - Behave appropriately toward participants collaborators, employees, etc. Integrity - Be honest, dependable and trustworthy Competence - Ensure that you and your employees/staff are well trained and receive relevant education

14. Guidelines to Use When Faced with Ethical Dilemmas Always consider the following: Survival of participants/colleagues/self Freedom of choice of participants Well-being of participants Adherence to agreed upon rules Harm to property or program

15. Steps to Resolving Ethical Dilemmas Step One - Identify the Problem Get feedback from others Step Two - Set Boundaries Based on values and rules Step Three - Identify Possible Solutions/ Alternatives Step Four - Weigh Pros and cons of Each Step Five - Make Decision

16. Questions or comments? Please contact: Carol Albrecht Assessment Specialist USU Extension 979-777-2421 carol.albrecht@usu.edu