Expectations and Responsibilities

Science is hard. But it’s also fun. In the Media Neuroscience Lab, we want to make sure that everyone experiences a positive, engaging, hostility-free, challenging, and rewarding lab environment. To maintain that environment, we all have to do a few things. In this document, we describe some of the main expectations and responsibilties that we have for our trainees, and also some of the things that you can expect from the lab.

The Big Picture

• Work on what you are passionate about and be passionate about your work.

• Scientists have to be careful. Don't rush any of the tasks that you are given in the lab. Think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Whether you are collecting/analyzing data, writing/eding manuscripts, or anything else, double and triple check your work.

• It's okay to make mistakes, but we should work to minimize mistakes made out of carelessness or rushing. If you do make a mistake, make sure to let a graduate student or Dr. Weber know.

• Support and respect your fellow lab-mates. Help them out if they need help (even if you aren’t on your particular project), and let them vent when they need to. Science is collaborative, not competitive. Help others, and you can expect others to help you when you need it.

• If you’re struggling, tell someone. Your health and happiness are important for your well being and also your quality of work. The lab looks out for the well-being of all its members. We are here to help. It’s ok to go through hard patches (we all do), but you shouldn’t feel shy about asking for help or just venting!

• Stay up to date on the latest research. You can use RSS feeds, Google Scholar alerts, or picking favorite journals. Also consider following the lab and other scientists in the field on Twitter. We also have a Zotero Library for the lab (mainly used for when we collaboratively write papers). Ask René or one of the graduate students if you're interest in getting access.

Code of Conduct and Lab Policies

The lab follows all UCSB codes of conduct and members in the lab are expected to abide by these rules. Discrimination and harassment are not tolerated. Period. If you are being harassed or discriminated against, or notice this happening to someone else, tell a grad students, Dr. Weber, or another faculty member right away.

Scientific Integrity

The lab has a zero tolerance policy for scientific misconduct and abides by all UCSB policies on research misconduct. Do not plagiarize, manipulate, fabricate, or otherwise falsify your data as you are collecting it or analyzing it.

Lab Communication

Lab communication will primarily happen using Google Chat and email. If you have not already been added to the Google Chat group, e-mail one of the graduate students to get added to it.

On Google Chat please try to keep each channel focused and on-topic. For messages to just one person, use direct messages. Google Chat will be a major form of communication for our lab. So please install it on your phone and computer. You are not expected to check the Google Chat page or email on nights, weekends, or holidays.

Open Science

Our lab is increasingly adopting Open Science Practices. This means that, to the extent possible, we are making our data and code available in online repositories like the Open Science Framework and GitHub. This helps make sure results are reproducible. Organize your data, write your code, and develop your project with sharing and reproducibility in mind. See our lab Wiki for more details and styleguides.

Authorship

For the most part, we follow APA guidelines:

Authorship credit should reflect the individual's contribution to the study. An author is considered anyone involved with initial research design, data collection and analysis, manuscript drafting, and final approval. However, the following do not necessarily qualify for authorship: providing funding or resources, mentorship, or contributing research but not helping with the publication itself. The primary author assumes responsibility for the publication, making sure that the data are accurate, that all deserving authors have been credited, that all authors have given their approval to the final draft; and handles responses to inquiries after the manuscript is published."

If you have an authorship-related question about a project that you are working on, don't hesitate to get in touch with René.

Human Subjects

Compliance with all UCSB Human Subjects policies and procedures is critical. All lab members must complete UCSB's Human Subjects Training. You can complete the training at this link. Our lab code for the human subjects training module is COMM-WE-RE-037. Be sure to enter "Weber" as the sponsor's last name.

Failure to comply with these policies can cause serious harm to our participants. Compliance failures might also result in our research privileges being revoked. Studies cannot begin without IRB approval, and study protocols must strictly follow what was approved by IRB.

If a participant becomes sick, uncomfortable, or there is some other issue during a research session, notify Dr. Weber or a grad student right away. We may have to report this.

Finally, write your IRB protocols such that deidentified data are available for sharing in public repositories. This contributes to our lab's open science mission.

Old projects

If a data set is collected in the lab but is not completely analyzed or written up within 3 years after the end of data collection, the Media Neuroscience Lab reserves the right to re-assign the project (if appropriate) to another person to expedite publication. If a researcher (or research assistant/volunteer) voluntarily relinquishes their rights to the project prior to the 3-year window, the project may also be reassigned to another individual. This policy is here to prevent data (especially expensive data, e.g., fMRI) from remaining unpublished, but is meant to give priority to the person who collected the data initially.