New paradigms on Research Integrity.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1623750593755{margin-top: 32px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]The World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) that would be held this year in Cape Town, South Africa, had its date postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to initiate the discussions, the WCRI has hosted a series of virtual discussions as part of the main themes for next year.

The field of Research Integrity has grown and gained relevance in recent years. However, most of the initiatives are developed in the context of high-income countries. We must not forget that research integrity practices are influenced by local culture and values. Therefore, the Cape Town WCRI has expanded the discussions to the contexts of low and middle-income countries (LMIC) and include themes relevant to these contexts such as colonial legacies and research integrity, plagiarism in multicultural and multilingual contexts, and institutionalization of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) education and training in low resource settings.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1592560273619{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-right: 1px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;margin-left: 1px !important;padding-top: 16px !important;padding-right: 16px !important;padding-bottom: 16px !important;padding-left: 16px !important;background: #388bc2 url(http://h2020integrity.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/INTEGRITY_Icon-Quote04.png?id=2644) !important;}”][vc_column_inner][nd_options_text nd_options_text_tag=”h2″ nd_options_text_weight=”normal” nd_options_text_family=”nd_options_first_font” nd_options_text=”The field of Research Integrity has grown and gained relevance in recent years. However, most of the initiatives are developed in the context of high-income countries.” nd_options_text_line_height=”36″ nd_options_text_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Two virtual sessions that took place on June 1st addressed the topic of research integrity in LMIC from different perspectives. One of the sessions presented the proposal of the Cape Town Statement. The statement will be an outcome of the 7th WCRI and aim to foster Research Integrity through equity, fairness, and diversity. The objective is to develop principles and action guides intended to support fairness and equity in research, especially within collaborations between the global North and South. The statement will propose actions to the entire scientific system including funders, editors, any supporting organizations and also researchers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1592560273619{margin-top: 32px !important;margin-right: 1px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;margin-left: 1px !important;padding-top: 16px !important;padding-right: 16px !important;padding-bottom: 16px !important;padding-left: 16px !important;background: #388bc2 url(http://h2020integrity.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/INTEGRITY_Icon-Quote04.png?id=2644) !important;}”][vc_column_inner][nd_options_text nd_options_text_tag=”h2″ nd_options_text_weight=”normal” nd_options_text_family=”nd_options_first_font” nd_options_text=”One of the sessions presented the proposal of the Cape Town Statement. The statement will be an outcome of the 7th WCRI and aim to foster Research Integrity through equity, fairness, and diversity.” nd_options_text_line_height=”36″ nd_options_text_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]The second session discussed the implementation of the Hong Kong Principles in LMIC. The Hong Kong Principles were developed at the 6th WCRI to address perverse incentives and ensure that researchers are explicitly recognized and rewarded for behaviors that strengthen research integrity, such as good practice in research and open science. However, the implementation of the principles faces different challenges in contexts of LMIC. The key example is the actual implementation of Open Access publishing. Many LMIC researchers believe that Open Access policies will increase the gap in scientific publication between developing and developed countries. The researchers believe that due to the lack of effective waiver systems, the pay-to-publish models will increase the burden on researchers in LMIC and are therefore forced to publish in less prestigious, cheap journals.

In any case, changes and initiatives must be universal and as fair as possible. Without a shift in research culture, significant initiatives will see no lasting improvements.

Feature image author – @freepik

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