A Vignette-based Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Impact of Supervisor's Role on Research Practices of Doctoral Students

A Vignette-based Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Impact of Supervisor's Role on Research Practices of Doctoral Students Facing Dilemma Situations

This study aims to evaluate the influence of supervisors on PhD students' research practice (i.e., an environment where there is a lack of opposition to detrimental research practice from the supervisor)

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: The Study Focus on no Specific Condition
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Vignette with emphasis on supervisor's opinion

Detailed Description

PhD students are the next generation of researchers and will present the field in the future. However, several environmental factors might influence their research practice. In this study, we will evaluate the influence of supervisors on PhD students' research practice (an environment where there is a lack of opposition to detrimental research practice from the supervisor).

Objective: To evaluate the influence of supervisors on PhD students' research practice

Design: A randomized controlled trial

1. Intervention: Participants will be shown two case vignettes describing dilemma situations in research reported with and without the role of the supervisor.
2. Participants: The participants will be PhD students in all biomedical disciplines.
3. Sample size will be 300 participants
4. Primary outcome: In each vignette, participants will have to indicate which solution they prefer on a semantic differential scale, rated from - 5 to -1 (preference for solution A) and from 1 to 5 (preference for solution B). Participants will be forced to make a choice between the 2 solutions. The primary outcome will be the mean preference score.
5. This study is approved by ethics review regulations by INSERM (CEEI-IRB): IRB00003888

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 300
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• PhD students in biomedical sciences

Exclusion Criteria:

• NA

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Vignette with supervisor's opinion; Participants in this arm will receive vignettes with an additional sentence describing supervisor's opinion (i.e. supervisor does not oppose to detrimental research practice)	Other: Vignette with emphasis on supervisor's opinion; A vignette describing a dilemma situation for a researcher (e.g. adding an honorary author) with or without the description of supervisor's advice that does not oppose to detrimental research practice (i.e. the supervisor is fine with whatever the PhD student decides in the dilemma).
Active Comparator: Vignette without supervisor's opinion; Participants in this arm will receive vignettes without an additional sentence describing supervisor's opinion.	Other: Vignette with emphasis on supervisor's opinion; A vignette describing a dilemma situation for a researcher (e.g. adding an honorary author) with or without the description of supervisor's advice that does not oppose to detrimental research practice (i.e. the supervisor is fine with whatever the PhD student decides in the dilemma).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean preference score	In each vignette, we will ask participants, what would you do if you are in the place of the character in the vignette? Participants will have to indicate which solution they prefer on a semantic differential scale, rated from - 5 to -1 (preference for solution A) and from 1 to 5 (preference for solution B). We will calculate the mean preference score	Immediate assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of students who chose the detrimental research practice	Proportion of students who made choices rated from -5 to -1	Immediate assessment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): March 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 7, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 7, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): February 10, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 10, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 7, 2020
• Last Verified: January 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: ISB-014

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No