The ethics of managing a laboratory or research group

Themes

The ethics of managing a laboratory or research group

What is this about?

In managing a research laboratory, a variety of ethical challenges occur, including issues with the management of personnel, financial and material resources, projects, and data. Many laboratory employees found an overall ethical issue in balancing the urge for efficiency against seemingly opposing ideals such as treating people fairly and supporting individual well-being. Many of them also stated that their graduate and post-graduate education and training did not adequately prepare them to deal with the ethical, financial, interpersonal, and other issues that arise when managing a research laboratory, and that effective communication and leadership are essential for ethical research laboratory management.

Why is this important?

Communication and leadership are crucial to managing a research laboratory ethically.

For whom is this important?

Academic institutionsSupervisorsDoctoral studentsLaboratory researchersPostdocsGraduate and postgraduate students

What are the best practices?

Managing people, projects, and budgets, as well as setting workplace procedures that foster efficiency, safety ethics, and high staff morale, are all issues that come with running a laboratory. Lab safety and ethics are two of the most important components of running a lab, yet they are often overlooked in favor of more fundamental lab management skills. It is critical to work hard to build a laboratory culture that prioritizes safety.

Nikola Pavlović contributed to this theme. Latest contribution was Feb 28, 2022

Other information

Virtues & Values

• fairness
• integrity
• leadership
• productivity
• research climate
• stewardship

Good Practices & Misconduct

• Good Practice
• Misconduct