UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO)

Today, UKRIO’s CEO, Stephanie Neave, was invited to speak at the 5th anniversary meeting of the Scottish Research Integrity Network (SRIN) held in Dundee. SRIN is a forum co-founded by The University of Edinburgh and the University of Dundee (including Inke Nathke, UKRIO Trustee and Advisory Council Co-Chair) that supports the adoption of good research practices in Scotland. At this event, representatives from prominent UK research integrity organisations, including UKRIO, the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN), and the UK Committee on Research Integrity (UKCORI), updated attendees on the pressing challenges and priorities they are working to address. UKRIO is pleased to support SRIN to ensure our work draws from the important contributions being made by research stakeholders across the UK. By taking part in SRIN meetings, we ensure we are attuned and responsive to the opportunities, challenges, and developments Scottish research institutions are facing.

We are pleased to share that UKRIO's Chair, Sir Ian Boyd, has just published a new book, 'Science in Politics' — an insightful examination of the tensions between political systems and scientific standards, and a set of proposals for how to resolve them. You can read a review of this book in an article recently published by Nature Portfolio: https://lnkd.in/egdUMaDV This book is an extension of the mission Sir Ian Boyd has been leading as our Chair: to make research integrity a topic with purchase outside of the academic sector, including by allowing it to play a stronger role in guiding policymaking. One key argument Boyd makes is that, to build systems that produce objective, robust policies, we must look at 'how to improve institutional cultures and the quality of staff', directly reflecting UKRIO's work to promote a stronger research culture across sectors: https://lnkd.in/e7aR2b32 This book also examines the challenges associated with the rising accessibility and adoption of AI tools in research, a topic we are exploring as one of our 2024/2025 priority workstreams and recently held an expert webinar on: https://lnkd.in/eeZCzTNb We congratulate Sir Ian Boyd for the publication of this book and thank him for his ongoing work to support our mission to improve the integrity and impact of research in the UK and globally.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 Einstein Foundation Berlin Award for Promoting Quality in Research: The PubPeer Foundation, PixelQuality, and Elisabeth Bik. The selection of these awardees spotlights the invaluable work being done across the global research community to uphold standards of integrity, transparency, and trustworthiness in research. UKRIO has been fortunate to collaborate with Dr. Elisabeth Bik previously — in 2022, she volunteered her expertise as a speaker at our Annual Conference. During this event, she delivered a thought-provoking presentation on research misconduct in biomedical science, particularly focusing on the manipulation and misuse of images. You can watch a recording of her presentation on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/esqtsAMC

Research has a significant impact on peoples' lives, and to increase transparency and accountability in the research process, information about research should be clearly and diligently communicated to the public. As outlined in the attached article by Nature Portfolio, there are ongoing debates on how research results should be communicated to the public, and in particular, how research integrity standards should inform this practice. How can we make research results engaging without oversimplifying or misrepresenting them? How can we balance incentives to self-promote with the responsibilities we have to be truthful and accurate about our research? UKRIO has been closely engaged with these questions, and in June 2024, we held a public webinar where we invited research experts to discuss how principles of research integrity should inform practices of science communication. You can view a summary of this event, including recordings of the speakers' presentations, here: https://lnkd.in/gVJQdJij UKRIO plans to continue engaging with research stakeholders on this important topic in upcoming months, and we will publish any additional updates or outputs created in the process.

Last month, UKRIO hosted 'AI in research: supporting research integrity through governance and ethics', the first event in its 2024/25 expert webinar series. At this event, stakeholders from across the research community gathered to see Areeq Chowdhury (The Royal Society) and Scott Summers (University of East Anglia) give presentations about emerging AI research tools and their implications for research integrity. UKRIO is pleased to share materials from this event, including summaries and recordings from these presentations. You can access these materials, as well as register for additional upcoming UKRIO webinars, below. https://lnkd.in/eeZCzTNb

Registration is open for our next expert webinar, Research integrity and research culture in the third sector. While research integrity initiatives often focus on higher education or healthcare, this event will look at topics impacting the third sector. It will feature speakers with experience in third sector research who will share lessons and insights from their work. This is a great opportunity for research stakeholders in charities, non-profits, or other third sector organisations to gain new knowledge to shape their practice. What: Research integrity and research culture in the third sector When: 3 December 2024 10:00-11:00 GMT Where: Zoom (link provided upon registration) Speakers include: Lindsay Judge, Research Director of the Resolution Foundation, who conducts research to address a range of issues including housing, the bottom end of the labour market, and spatial inequalities. Simon Anderson, a consultant who helps third sector organisations design, commission, conduct and use social research ethically and effectively. Dr Amy Calder, the Senior Policy and Research Officer at YouthLink Scotland, who conducts research to demonstrate the impact of youth work on young people’s lives. Register now: https://lnkd.in/e7HcbJjb

Earlier this month, UKRIO CEO Stephanie Neave joined the first in-person meeting of the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) Stakeholder Engagement Group, a collective of key actors from across the UK’s research system collaborating to inform UKRN’s upcoming priorities and discuss opportunities for collaboration. With a range of attendees including representatives from research organisations, funders, and publishers, this meeting was a great example of the type of cross-sector collaboration necessary to promote a healthy research culture. We thank UKRN for bringing these stakeholders together and continuing to work with us to advance research integrity in the UK. Read more about this meeting below. https://lnkd.in/efUYAJ76

We are pleased to welcome Jasper Scott as UKRIO’s Communications and Engagement Manager. Jasper will lead the development of a new communications programme to support our charity. In addition to strengthening our existing relationships within the research community, he will aim to help us reach new audiences and serve as a thought leader in conversations about research integrity. We look forward to working alongside Jasper to shape an exciting new chapter for UKRIO. If you would like to contact Jasper about opportunities to collaborate with UKRIO’s communications team, you can reach him at jasper.scott@ukrio.org

Involved in research in the arts and humanities? We need your input. UKRIO is currently reviewing its resources on research integrity in the arts and humanities, including creative and practice-based research. We want to focus our efforts on the practical challenges of applying research integrity in the arts and humanities, and we are looking for insights into what these challenges are and how we can best address them. We are planning to host an informal online meeting this month to discuss areas we should focus on. If you are interested in joining, please contact nicola.sainsbury@ukrio.org by Monday, 21st October. The tentative date for this initial meeting is Wednesday, 30th October.

UKRIO is delighted to share Whistleblowing and Breaches of Good Research Practice, a new guidance written in collaboration with Protect to support whistleblowers in research settings.   As we have highlighted in past publications, many barriers currently prevent researchers from reporting concerns about research misconduct, including stigma, fear of reprisals, and reputational risk. To safeguard research integrity, whistleblowers should understand their legal protections and the support available to them when coming forward with any concerns.   This new guidance sheds light on existing whistleblowing legislation in the context of the research environment and the actions researchers and research organisations can take to facilitate safe whistleblowing practices. Ultimately, it aims to help build a research culture that normalises early reporting and encourages safe whistleblowing.   We encourage researchers and research employers to read, engage with, and share this report. Through a stronger understanding of safe whistleblowing practices, we can foster a more open, accountable research culture in the UK. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gR9-9cUz