Ethical awareness lies at the heart of any research-programme that involves using animals. While we tend to design a project and then consider the ethics, placing research ethics and animal welfare foremost in the development process does more than help to gain approval for the work; a clearly defined harm-benefit analysis can shape the project’s development, underpinning all aspects of the work, and identifying the research benefits from the beginning.In this workshop you will cover all aspects of ethical thinking covered by research regulations and FELASA requirements. You will understand the different attitudes to animals held by society, the core ideas that underpin perspectives and how they have influenced current legislation and practices. Considering ethics in practice does not provide the ‘truth’ but will help you understand the differences between views held by different members of society, and why those perspectives are important. This training uses ethical thinking as a foundation to create a protocol with clear outcomes, and with benefits that can be clearly understood by both those who assess its suitability and those who will work within it. You will learn how to write a clear harm-benefit statement and use it as the focus for a successful research application: one that is approved first time. [more]

Learning to write and respond to reviewers' comments are vital skills for early-career researchers to master if they wish to become established scientists. However, these skills are often neglected, forcing researchers to learn them by trial and error. By learning to address reviewers' comments, young researchers not only increase their chances of getting their work published but also learn to think critically about their own research. Equally, by becoming better reviewers, researchers can raise their profiles with journal editors. Becoming an invited reviewer for a prestigious journal is an opportunity for researchers to enhance their academic reputation and improve their career prospects. [more]