Science Europe recently published a comprehensive review of developments in research integrity across Europe and the US.

Defined as “the performance of research to the highest standards of professionalism and rigour, in an ethically robust manner”, the report argues that research integrity is vital because it creates trust, and trust is at the heart of the research process. By exploring available data on the frequency of research misconduct and the possible reasons for researchers to commit misconduct, the report looks at the potential costs of misconduct, how organisations promote research integrity, and how allegations of misconduct are handled.

Dr Maura Hiney, Chair of the Science Europe Working Group on Research Integrity stated: “Providing training in research integrity, not just at post-graduate level but throughout researcher’s career, as well as training-the-trainers initiatives, are definitely important steps in promoting good practices and preventing misconduct, but fostering the appropriate research environment and culture will be equally influential”.

Highlighted as an example of online training within the report, Epigeum’s Research Integrity Impact courses provide a comprehensive training programme covering all stages of the research process. Impact tools embedded throughout the course material create an engaging environment for participants and provide institutions with data to measure research climate and environment, learner motivation, participant capability, and the effectiveness of their research integrity training, helping institutions achieve the goals identified from the Science Europe report.

Find out more about Epigeum’s Research Integrity Programme.

The full Science Europe report is available here: http://scieur.org/integrity-paper