Prestigious committee calls for the establishment of new, modern scientific standards.
It has been 25 years since the National Academy of Sciences constructed the moral pillars of today’s scientific world. The institute officially phrased the right conduct under which researchers can carry out their work. However, time weakened these standards with a series of loopholes that allowed a large variety of questionable papers to be published. This way, the integrity of this industry was no longer stable. This is why a committee asks for the organization of an advisory board. This instrument will be in charge of shaping the new scientific standards.
The Committee Highlights the Need for a Research Integrity Advisory Board
On Tuesday, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a report entitled Fostering Integrity in Research. The paper identifies the absence of a new, modern, and solid organ to officially name and define today’s scientific standards. The report focuses on a growing trend of research enterprises to offer incentives for researchers. This can prove to be a subjective practice that impairs the scientific world.
However, due to a lack of such a modern apparatus, the committee uses the opportunity created by their new report to call for the formation of the Research Integrity Advisory Board. This group will have the responsibility to guard the freedom of self-correcting practices that define a research. However, they will also have the duty to find ways to improve the morality that guides the work conduct.
The New Scientific Standards Should Condemn Misconduct and Transparency Indediments
The industry needs such authority to draw the benefits but also responsibilities of researchers. For instance, there is no penalty for research misconduct. There are many cases of plagiarism, falsification, and data fabrication. Moreover, the nongovernmental board should have the capacity to address other ardent issues as well. Some scientists started to apply detrimental shortcuts, base their studies on questionable data, and hide their research to the disadvantage of other scientists.
All these loopholes are actually making scientists to waste their time and the public to learn deceitful misinformation. The report calls out to all funders to archive their discoveries. This way, other independent scientists have the opportunity to reproduce and improve data. This describes the scientific world as a large, transparent community that uses each bit of information to create progress. In addition, the report encourages institutions to create their own policies that protect whistleblowers . At the same time, publications should establish authorship standards.
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