Supervision - A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

Sep 15, 2026

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This guide supports implementation of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research by articulating principles and responsibilities for responsible research conduct. It focuses on research supervision and provides practical expectations for supervisors, including maintaining disciplinary currency, ensuring high-quality research design, and building respectful, culturally aware relationships. It also outlines responsibilities of institutions, researchers in supervisory roles, and researchers under supervision, including how to address training needs and resolve breaches of the Code.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research supervision

Responsibilities of institutions

Provide support and uphold appropriate standards

Provide training and induction

Support healthy supervisory relationships

Resolve disputes

Responsibilities of researchers in supervisory roles

Provide support

Supervisory arrangements

Engage in relevant training

Responsibilities of researchers under supervision

Breaches of the Code

Additional Resources

Supervision A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research Publication details Publication title: Supervision: A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research Published: 2019 Publisher: National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRC Publication Reference: R41G ISBN Online: 978-1-86496-045-7 Suggested citation: Supervision: A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and Universities Australia. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra | Copyright
© Commonwealth of Australia 2019

All material presented in this publication is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence ([www.creativecommons.org. au](www.creativecommons.org. au)), with the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, NHMRC logo and content identified as being owned by third parties. The details of the relevant licence conditions are available on the Creative Commons website ([www.creativecommons.org. au](www.creativecommons.org. au)), as is the full legal code for the CC BY 4.0 International licence. | Attribution
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence is a standard form license agreement that allows you to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt this publication provided that you attribute the work. The NHMRC’spreference is that you attribute this publication (and any material sourced from it) using the following wording: Source: National Health and Medical Research Council.
Use of images
Unless otherwise stated, all images (including background images, icons and illustrations) are copyrighted by their original owners. | | --- | --- | Contact us To obtain information regarding NHMRC publications or submit a copyright request, contact: E: [nhmrc. publications@nhmrc.gov. au](nhmrc. publications@nhmrc.gov. au) [P:](P:) (02) 6217 9000 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Research supervision 1 3. Responsibilities of institutions 2 3.1 Provide support and uphold appropriate standards 2 3.2 Provide training and induction 2 3.3 Support healthy supervisory relationships 3 3.4 Resolve disputes 4 4. Responsibilities of researchers in supervisory roles 4 4.1 Provide support 4 4.2 Supervisory arrangements 5 4.3 Engage in relevant training 5 5. Responsibilities of researchers under supervision 6 6. Breaches of the Code 6 Additional Resources 6 Supervision: A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research iii 1. Introduction This guide supports the implementation of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code), which articulates the broad principles and responsibilities that underpin the responsible conduct of Australian research. In particular, this guide is intended to assist institutions and researchers to adhere to relevant principles of the Code, including: • Principle 4, ‘Fairness in the treatment of others’, which requires researchers to treat fellow researchers and others involved in the research fairly and with respect. • Principle 7, ‘Accountability for the development, undertaking and reporting of research’. • Principle 8, ‘Promotion of responsible research practices’, which requires researchers to promote and foster a research culture and environment that supports the responsible conduct of research. The Code and this guide apply to all research conducted under the auspices of Australian institutions. These institutions vary in size, maturity, experience and organisational structure. They range from large and complex universities, to small privately funded institutes. Accordingly, it is acknowledged that different institutional policies and processes are capable of fulfilling the aim of this guide and attempts have been made to ensure that there are appropriate options for flexibility in its application. 2. Resear

FAQs

Who is this guide primarily intended to assist?

The guide is directed principally to supervision of early career researchers, Higher Degree by Research candidates, undergraduate students, and other research trainees.

What key responsibilities do supervisors have?

Supervisors are expected to maintain discipline-specific currency, set high standards for research design and methodology, develop knowledge of legal and policy frameworks, and foster respectful, culturally aware professional relationships.

What does the guide cover regarding breaches of the Code?

It includes a dedicated section on breaches of the Code, addressing responsibilities and expectations related to responsible conduct when requirements are not met.

Sep 15, 2026

Upload by Ezra