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

Not Applicable

• Conditions: The Study Focus on no Specific Condition
• Interventions: Other: Vignette with emphasis on supervisor's opinion

• Registration Number: NCT04263506
• Lead Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Brief Summary

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)

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 Timeline

• Status Verified: 2020-01
• Study First Submitted: 2020-02-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-02-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-02-07
• Study First Posted: 2020-02-10
• Last Update Posted: 2020-02-10
• Study Start: 2020-03-01
• Primary Completion: 2020-12-01
• Study Completion: 2020-12-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 300

Inclusion Criteria

• PhD students in biomedical sciences

Exclusion Criteria

• NA

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Vignette with supervisor's opinion	Vignette with emphasis on 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)
Vignette without supervisor's opinion	Vignette with emphasis on supervisor's opinion	Participants in this arm will receive vignettes without an additional sentence describing supervisor's opinion.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mean preference score	Immediate assessment	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

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of students who chose the detrimental research practice	Immediate assessment	Proportion of students who made choices rated from -5 to -1