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Developing a Collaborative Agenda for Humanities and Social Scientific Research on Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare

Davies, Gail F.; Greenhough, Beth J.; Hobson-West, Pru; Kirk, Robert G.W.; Applebee, Ken; Bellinghan, Laura C.; Berdoy, Manuel; Buller, Henry; Cassaday, Helen J.; Davies, Keith; Diefenbacher, Daniela; Druglitr�, Tone; Escobar, Maria Paula; Friese, Carrie

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Authors

Gail F. Davies

Beth J. Greenhough

Robert G.W. Kirk

Ken Applebee

Laura C. Bellinghan

Manuel Berdoy

Henry Buller

HELEN CASSADAY HELEN.CASSADAY@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience

Keith Davies

Daniela Diefenbacher

Tone Druglitr�

Maria Paula Escobar

Carrie Friese



Abstract

Improving laboratory animal science and welfare requires both new scientific research and insights from enquiry in the humanities and social sciences. Whilst scientific research provides evidence to replace, reduce and refine procedures involving laboratory animals (the ‘3Rs’), work in the humanities and social sciences can help understand the social, economic and cultural processes that enhance or impede humane ways of knowing and working with laboratory animals. However, communication across these disciplinary perspectives is currently limited, and they frame questions, generate results, engage users, and seek to influence policy in different ways. To facilitate dialogue and future research at this interface, we convened an interdisciplinary group of 45 life scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars, non-governmental organisations and policy-makers to generate a collaborative research agenda. This drew on other agenda-setting exercises in science policy, using a collaborative and deliberative approach for the identification of research priorities. Participants were recruited from across the community, invited to submit research questions and vote on their priorities. They then met at an interactive workshop in the UK, discussed all 136 questions submitted, and collectively defined the 30 most important issues for the group. The output is a collaborative future agenda for research in the humanities and social sciences on laboratory animal science and welfare. The questions indicate a demand for new research in the humanities and social sciences to inform emerging discussions and priorities on the governance and practice of laboratory animal research, including around: international harmonisation, openness and public engagement, ‘cultures of care’, harm-benefit analysis and the future of the 3Rs. The process underlines the value of interdisciplinary exchange for improving mutual understanding of different research cultures and identifies ways of enhancing the effectiveness of future research at the interface between the humanities, social sciences, science and science policy.

Citation

Davies, G. F., Greenhough, B. J., Hobson-West, P., Kirk, R. G., Applebee, K., Bellinghan, L. C., …Friese, C. (2016). Developing a Collaborative Agenda for Humanities and Social Scientific Research on Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare. PLoS ONE, 11(7), Article e0158791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158791

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 22, 2016
Online Publication Date Jul 18, 2016
Publication Date Jul 18, 2016
Deposit Date Jul 21, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal PLOS ONE
Electronic ISSN 1932-6203
Publisher Public Library of Science
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Issue 7
Article Number e0158791
DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158791
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/800521
Publisher URL http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0158791
Additional Information 42 authors in total.

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