Coventry University: E-Journals
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Is Peer Review Fit for Purpose? Enhancing Integrity and Professional Standards in Publications
Get PDFPeer review is crucial for academic research, when checking manuscripts for publishing, considering proposals for research funding, and deciding which submitted contributions to include in conference programmes. Peer reviewers are tasked with assessing readability, scientific merit, accuracy, reliability, novelty, relevance, completeness and focus. Conscientious, experienced peer reviewers add considerable value to scientific manuscripts by working with authors, especially Early Career Researchers (ECRs), to help them achieve the required standards set by editors and publishers.
Given the centrality of peer review to academia, it is easy to forget that peer review is often voluntary and unpaid, requiring considerable time and resources. Without peer reviewers, editors and publishers, and conference organisers, many of whom are also voluntary and unpaid, would be tasked with reviewing submissions. This would require considerable time and diverse knowledge and skills, even when the scope of topics for submissions is narrow.
The recent substantial rise in the number of journal article retractions, affecting both large and small publishers, raises questions about why the traditional checks and balances put in place by the publishers, especially peer review, do not uncover the problems.
This paper will explore both the merits of effective peer review and root causes of problems currently being experienced, with consideration of how peer review could be improved to serve future requirements
Examining Leadership Practices to Promote a Positive Culture of Research Integrity in Higher Education Institutions
Get PDFWhat is new?
While Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have, in recent years, placed greater emphasis on promoting good research practices, it is yet relatively unknown what leadership approaches are best suited to cultivating a positive culture of research integrity (RI) in HEIs. This small-scale exploratory descriptive study therefore sought to uncover initial findings from within the European context on practices research leaders found to be most effective in leading positive change in this space.
What was the approach?
The design was constructed using semi-structured interviews with five senior research leaders. Countries that were members of the European Network of Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO), with HEIs that were members of the European Association of Research Management and Administration (EARMA) were used as part of the sample selection process. With the topic being under-researched and the examination being a small-scale exploratory study, opportunistic and purposive sampling were used to recruit participants.
What is the academic impact?
The overarching leadership style found to promote a positive culture of RI in HEIs was collective, with adaptive and competent boundary spanning characteristics, along with cognisance of the need for continuous professional development. There was agreement among all participants that change in research culture is occurring, and leaders need to adapt to these changes. RI and open research were seen as integral components to promoting good research practices in HEIs.
What is the wider impact?
There are multiple facets to promoting a culture of RI in HEIs, with excellent examples in the literature on both leadership and good research practices. However there is little evidence of which leadership styles create the best conditions for driving a positive culture of RI in HEIs.
The Trinity Technique: A novel 3-step approach for debriefing interprofessional major incident simulation.
Get PDFDebriefing is conducted following serious or unexpected incidents to support well-being, uphold professional standards and help organisations pledge a duty-of-care. Debriefing skills can be honed within Simulation-Based-Learning (SBL) activities and a range of studies have shown this approach effective at transforming experiences into meaningful reflection. Immediately congregating learners after the conclusion of a simulation to identify areas of strength and growth and outlining potential areas to enhance future practice has also been shown to help cement key learning objectives. Despite this, the wider literature lacks a validated tool for interprofessional major incident simulation, highlighting an important research-knowledge gap. As part of a quality improvement initiative to advance teaching and learning practices within this domain, a novel 3-step, interprofessional major incident simulation debriefing strategy titled the Trinity Technique was fashioned and pilot-tested amongst a sample of 436 students studying Paramedic Science, Adult Nursing, Physician Associate Studies and Forensic Science. The Trinity Technique received positive feedback, valuable insight into learner experience was gained and the novel approach had a unique ability to debrief institutions as well as learners. Further research is now required to formally validate this pioneering approach
The EU migration law simulation: Enriching higher education through a gaming tool for knowledge exchange
Get PDFDeveloping, testing and applying an educational simulation tool preparing our students for a complex legal practice in which cooperation with European member states is essential resulted in the EU Migration Simulation. The simulation was designed to have students engage with strategies for protecting human rights, guarding national borders, or facilitating safe migration channels for a sustainable future under EU migration Law. This contribution presents the development of and working of the EU Migration Simulation as well as student evaluations from law schools across Europe, testing existing theories of educational simulation. This education project aimed to deploy a hybrid educational simulation off-line and online to offer European law and migration studies students opportunities for new forms of knowledge exchange. We found that off-line simulation was most successful for knowledge exchange and systems insight. The simulation requires a modest but well informed facilitator, which confirms existing knowledge on educational simulations. Furthermore, legal cultures had a decisive impact on the way students understood their roles, and thus in the developing of the roles during the stage of game design and testing. Moreover, we found that legal professionals were just as keen on engaging in the simulation as university students as it took them outside their professional ‘tunnel vision’ on problem solving and generating novel systems insight
Reflections on Writing and Generative AI: A Symposium
Get PDFThis symposium is an extension of a plenary forum on generative AI (hereafter GenAI) held at the EATAW Conference at Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur, Switzerland, in June 2023. Since the conference, AI – particularly the large language models (LLMs) shaping GenAI such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT – continue to develop rapidly with extensive integration and usage across disciplines and career sectors with educational and societal impacts.
Given these developments, we recognize the central role that writing instruction has in fostering critical literacies and engaged usage and, at times, non-usage of GenAI. Just as we have adapted our teaching and learning to other technological developments, so too are we now at a time of transition and adaptation. Our initial discussion at EATAW was wide-ranging, intentionally so because (1) there is so much to explore in relation to GenAI, and (2) the EATAW membership is diverse, coming from a range of academic backgrounds. Thus in our original plenary and here in this symposium we have raised issues ranging from specific pedagogical approaches to questions of program and institutional administration, to broader public issues and conversations about the relationship of humans to machines. Here in this written symposium we each raise a different issue related to GenAI and writing with the aim to foster dialogue and discussion about GenAI in writing-related contexts
AI Literacy in the Context of Working with Sources: Pitfalls and Possibilities of Generative AI Models in Academic Writing
Get PDFThis study examines the integration of generative AI (GenAI), such as ChatGPT, into students’ academic writing practices, focusing on its use for finding and working with sources. Using the concept of ‘imagined affordances’ we explore how students perceive and interact with this technology in academic contexts. We tested six student-centric prompting strategies across three fields using ChatGPT 3.5 and 4o, simulating realistic academic writing scenarios. Results show significant variations in the accuracy and usability of generated references across fields, strategies, and model versions. Notably, some strategies based on students’ imagined affordances, though technically unsound, produced useful outputs for academic writing tasks. ChatGPT 4o generally outperformed 3.5, highlighting rapid advancements in GenAI’s potential role in academic writing. These findings reveal a growing gap between institutional guidance on GenAI use in academic writing and students’ potential experiences. We advocate for a nuanced approach to AI literacy in higher education that acknowledges students’ perspectives, fosters open dialogue, destigmatizes experimentation while emphasizing critical evaluation, and raises awareness of how imagined affordances shape GenAI interactions during the writing process. This study contributes to discussions on AI integration in academic writing, offering insights for writing instructors, librarians, and policymakers
Institutional Changes to Embed Citizen Science in RPOs: The Case of UniSR as an Implementer Partner of the European Project TIME4CS
No full textWhat is new?
Institutional barriers and lack of engagement in research-performing organisations (RPOs) may limit the development and impact of Citizen Science (CS) initiatives. In the present case study, we detail the transformative and multidisciplinary approach of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (UniSR) through the European project TIME4CS, showcasing how tailored roadmaps and mutual learning with other RPOs with established support structures and expertise for CS were able to overcome these challenges.
What was the approach?
The approach involved several key steps: 1) creation of a de novo research organization area dedicated to Research Development; 2) formation of a multidisciplinary core team to implement TIME4CS activities; 3) mapping the initial and final levels of awareness of CS among UniSR researchers through surveys; 4) developing and implementing a detailed communication plan, including seminars, newsletters, articles, and a repository of CS resources; 5) involvement of UniSR students, professors, researchers but also research support officers in the initiatives; 6) establishment of a contact point for stakeholders interested in CS and in active participation in European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) groups; 7) support to the development of pilot initiatives and projects of CS.
What is the academic impact?
The academic impact includes increased awareness and engagement in CS initiatives among UniSR researchers. The actions triggered by the TIME4CS project have led to the emergence of several new CS research projects, enhancing UniSR's research excellence and contributing to its strategic goals of internationalization and competitiveness. This case study provides a model for overcoming institutional barriers in the promotion of CS and enhancing research excellence.
What is the wider impact?
The wider impact of the initiatives includes fostering a more collaborative and inclusive research environment at UniSR. By involving researchers, students, professors, research support officers, and external stakeholders, the project promoted a culture of Open Science and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). The activities also contribute to the broader scientific community by participating in ECSA groups and sharing resources and best practices, potentially influencing other institutions to adopt similar approaches
References, Paraphrases and Quotations: Essentials for Writing a Non-plagiarized Text
Get PDFThis article examines how four students in high school or college choose to integrate sources in their assignments using quotation and paraphrases. Implementing an innovative methodology, a digital screen capture software was used to record all the participants’ actions as they wrote a 500-word argumentative essay. A video of each participant’s actions was produced. These actions translated as quantitative results and showed the frequency of various actions grouped within five categories of strategies linked to various skills (informational skills, writing skills, referencing skills, basic computer skills and task compliance skills) and a sixth category linked to plagiarism actions. The four texts were also analysed for their quality and their level of plagiarism.
Results show that the college students performed better on overall text quality, but their texts contained more plagiarism. When looking at the strategies used, all students spent more time on their informational and writing strategies than on their referencing strategies. When using sources, in general, participants had more difficulties with paraphrasing than with quoting, often not referencing their paraphrases, which resulted in plagiarism. Patterns emerged for the data showing four types of actions when integrating sources in assignments: the casual integrator, the aspiring integrator, the fearless integrator and the ethical integrator. For each profile, recommendations on how to better develop students’ paraphrasing, quoting, and referencing skills are provided
Review of Section 6 of The Emerald Handbook Of Research Management And Administration Around The World: Emerging Trends And Insights In Research Management And Administration
Get PDFThis is a review of Section 6 of the Emerald Handbook, the final chapter, providing review and commentary of themes within the book