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The Ottawa Hospital and uOttawa to play lead role in global research ethics collaboration
July 24, 2017
The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa are pleased to be among four institutions from around the world selected as pilot members of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
COPE promotes ethical standards for publishing research and provides guidance to more than 10,000 scientific journals and editors. Through a pilot project, COPE is now opening up its membership to selected universities and research institutions for the first time.
“Participating in this network will allow us to share some of the best practices we’ve developed and learn from the experiences of others,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. “Research ethics is a priority for The Ottawa Hospital because high quality research drives world-class care for our patients and improves health around the world.”
“This international collaboration will play a key role in maintaining the integrity of the University of Ottawa's research excellence,” said interim VP Research Sylvain Charbonneau. “I want to commend all of those involved in the project for their foresight and leadership on this file.”
The Ottawa Hospital’s Centre for Journalology, which is affiliated with uOttawa, will play a lead role in the collaboration with COPE. Led by Dr. David Moher (pictured at right), the Centre is a world-leader in developing best practices for reporting research results. Dr. Moher and his colleagues have developed a series of research reporting guidelines that have been endorsed by more than 500 journals around the world. The Centre for Journalology also includes a full-time Publications Officer, Dr. Kelly Cobey, who supports researchers in publishing their work in a complete and transparent manner. Dr. Cobey will lead the newly established memberships with COPE, and will contribute to the development of related outreach material.
“COPE has had a very positive influence in helping journals and editors maintain high ethical standards for publishing,” said Dr. Moher, a senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa. “The COPE institutional pilot is likely to provide similar help to prospective authors and their institutions to educate and support their publishing practices. We are excited to be one of the centres chosen for this pilot.”
The Centre for Journalology was created thanks to generous support from the community for Research to Improve Patient Care.
The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.
University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
Media contacts
Jennifer Ganton
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325
Cell: 613-614-5253
jganton@ohri.ca
Néomie Duval
University of Ottawa
Cell: 613-240-0275
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca
