Researching with Integrity
Universities create knowledge through the generation of original research. We, along with our instructors, contribute to advancing knowledge across fields by asking questions and engaging with the ideas of others through the research process.
The research that happens at universities is held to high standards of ethical scholarly conduct to ensure its originality, accuracy, and proper attribution to the people who created it. All members of the Laurier community have a responsibility to ensure research is conducted with integrity.
To conduct research with integrity means to enter a conversation of existing ideas through the research process, even – and especially – when those ideas might challenge our assumptions and expectations.
Ground Your Research in Existing Ideas
Whatever type of research we’re doing, researching with integrity means conducting a thorough and accurate review of the scholarship so that our ideas are firmly grounded in existing knowledge.
Let’s imagine I have been assigned an argumentative paper in one of my favorite courses. I really want to write about a specific topic and already have an idea of how to approach it. Even though I have a sense of what I want to write about, I need to conduct a full search of the literature to arrive at an informed position.
In theoretical research, when we’re responding to disciplinary debates and arguments, it's important to consult the research and consider a wide variety of perspectives before developing a thesis. That way, we can account for a range of views as we develop our own argument. Likewise, in conducting empirical research – such as in the sciences – it’s equally important to conduct a full review of the literature to establish what we already know. Only then can we enter the scholarly conversation with confidence!
Learn More – From Theory to Practice
Review a suite of practical scenarios that outline instances of research misconduct and provide guidance on how the students in these cases could have acted with integrity.
