Resources
Research Integrity, Compliance, and Best Practices
Lab Management
Building a strong research portfolio involves successfully managing the research team. The resources below are provided to support good research stewardship and to help set clear expectations for everyone on the team.
Payroll Policies and Procedures
Human Resources Contingent Workforce Information
On Being a Scientist A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition (2009)
Science Magazine, "Tool kit: Designing Your Lab"
Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Resources
FAS Division of Sciences Lab Safety
Harvard Medical School guide to electronic lab notebooks
Data Management
Data can take many forms throughout the course of the research process and is most valuable when managed properly. Here you will find resources for effective data storage, data sharing, and data management.
Research Design
The design and planning of research ensures that by following the highest standards in considering all aspects of research, ideas can be expanded, reproduced, and shared with the scientific community.
"Scientific method: Statistical Errors", Nuzzo (Nature, 2014)
Research Design (Creswell, 2022)
Regulated Materials and Research Subjects
The following resources are meant to support researchers in maintaining oversight of federal regulations and ensuring compliance as members of the research community.
Committee on the Use of Human Subjects (CUHS) - University-area Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) Committee
Stem Cell Research Oversight - Contact information for stem cell research
Collaborations
Successful collaboration within the University, across the country, or across the globe involves attention to communication, effective planning, discussion of expectations, and financial support.
University International Work Guidance
University International Research Project Planning Guide
Global Support Safety and Security
Office of Technology Development - Protecting Intellectual Property
Visitor Participation Agreements
“Ten simple rules for Global North researchers to stop perpetuating helicopter research in the Global South”, Haelewaters (PLOS Comp Biol, 2021)
Publishing
Much of a researcher’s success depends on effectively communicating research outcomes to the scientific community and the general public. Follow best practices in your field and consult the resources below.
Guidelines on Authorship and Acknowledgement
“Transparency in authors’ contributions and responsibilities to promote integrity in scientific publication”, McNutt (PNAS, 2018)
“Simple rules for concise scientific writing”, Hotaling (2020)
“Community-developed checklists for publishing images and image analyses”, Schmied (2023)
COS information about preregistration
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
Equator network – reporting guidelines for health research
PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews and meta analyses
“The Pathway to Publishing: A Guide to Quantitative Writing in the Health Sciences”, Luby and Southern (2022).
FAS Open Access Policy (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard - DASH)
Working with Industry
Fostering collaboration between academic institutions and industry allows research to be expanded and brings new ideas at a faster pace to a broader audience.
Office of Technology Development - Protecting Intellectual Property
Office of Technology Development - Guidance on Working with Industry partners
Office of Technology Development - Startup Resource Page
FAS/SEAS Conflict of Interest Resources
University Financial Conflict of Interest Policy
University Effort Reporting PolicyGrants and Funding
Research funding can come from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, corporations, or internal sources. Here we provide resources on finding and applying for funding, as well as managing grants.
FAS Guidance on Applying for Funding