Research ethics

Chief executive of Group of Eight says universities have ‘positive dialogue with security agencies’ after contributing to task force

Center for Open Science project will pass judgment on journals’ commitment to research transparency

But paper from League of European Research Universities says that anonymous reports of research misconduct should be avoided

Texas A&M University System chancellor’s public letter to Harvard president is latest incident in ongoing “food fight” between the two institutions over debated healthiness of eating red meat

Scholars welcome new ethics training for doctoral students but want broader action to improve awareness

Unprecedented recall of papers from Russian journals must also spark broader debate on academic culture, say research integrity scholars

Australian university scrutinises former student’s research record, as whistleblowers refute ocean acidification theory

The blessing of big data can be a curse without resources for analysis. But how much computerised help do we really want, asks Kristen Sadler

Researcher said he had transferred the sums to help cash flow at his lab

Scholars say ensuring vulnerable minorities have given consent to use of their data does not go far enough

Critics claim that only ‘congenial’ researchers get access to ride-hailing company’s data, while academic co-authors have potential conflicts of interest

Making participant-derived data available is not a panacea but, with careful support and management, it can improve reproducibility, says Jonathan Grigg

Chinese biophysicist jailed for three years for experiment that led to live births of three genetically altered children

Altmetric list of scholarship getting the most online attention shows that authenticity in science, and society more generally, is major theme of the year

Maps ruled invalid by a court in The Hague have appeared in scientific publishing

Importance of governance frameworks elevated, as ‘public or perish’ gives way to ‘partner or perish’

Industry and government alone cannot oversee new technology, experts say  

Universities and government should use ‘tracker’ to screen research ties, grants and visa applications

The apparent proliferation of libel challenges by scientists accused of research misconduct have led to fears that journals and others will be dissuaded from calling out wrongdoers. But is the observation accurate? And is the chilling effect reproducible? Jack Grove reports  

Journal's investigation exonerates fish researcher, who has previous retraction to her name

With 30 retractions so far and counting, experts say former Swinburne scientist exemplifies the need to screen research articles

Tough sanctions on institutions that ignore research integrity rules in new concordat backed by Universities UK and research funders

Collaborators criticise lack of sanction against Anna Lora-Wainwright, but internal investigation finds she did not intend to deceive

‘Overblown’ media reports focus on state control over students and perils of joint research

Senior co-author says he ‘forgot’ to add reference to overlapping paper

Improved citation performance amid falling funding is the result of gaming, say Alberto Baccini, Eugenio Petrovich and Giuseppe De Nicolao

Bath researchers seek to combine scholarly rigour with campaigning zeal

It is unfair and dangerous that, unlike academics, researchers in the private sector operate with no ethical oversight, says Ron Iphofen

Consultation raised concerns that proposal was too prescriptive and bureaucratic

Science’s decision sparks debate about how journals should respond to concerns about reproducibility

UK’s exit removes a ‘powerful brake’ against extreme ideas at a time of increased lobbying, say experts 

Institutions largely silent over how they allowed their researchers to take financier's funding, despite his interest in eugenics and 2008 sex conviction

Male guitarists may be disappointed to learn that a study showing they are more attractive to women may be unsound

Europe and Japan take different approach to US and China on potential risks of technology

Martin Keck, who led the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry’s hospital, is being investigated by Munich’s public prosecutor

Overstating the value of an intervention could put patients at risk, say researchers

‘Hong Kong Principles’ aim to tackle ‘perverse incentives’ in metrics-based policies and university promotion criteria

The ‘best’ scientists lack time for peer review, and academics should be rated for ‘worthy’ papers, argues Dan Shechtman

Uclan joins University of Cape Town in adopting rules to stamp out export of unethical research practices to poorer countries

Only a quarter of biology conferences set rules on attendee behaviour and penalties for misconduct are even rarer, study finds

Misconduct at root of only a fraction of complaints in Australia, study finds

Embedded integrity practices sustained knowledge systems that have evolved for millennia, says RMIT leader

Umbrella body for research councils accepts MPs’ call for organisation to monitor whether universities carry out misconduct investigations properly

Private funders and charitable foundations urged to support vital studies

Holding ‘probably innocent’ co-authors responsible for research wrongdoing cannot be justified, say academics

Nepotism and the isolation of war have left Kosovo’s oldest university battling poor research standards, but transparency campaigners hope this is changing

Call follows revelations about Coca-Cola’s influence over some sponsored research

Peter Ridd’s victory in unfair dismissal case raises questions about limits of scientific consensus

Aftershocks continue amid new revelations of fabrication

Marine biologist Oona Lönnstedt has gone to ground in Sweden after being found to have fabricated data

When credible concerns emerge about research validity, universities and journals must move quickly, writes John Ross

Philosopher calls on universities to take AI debate ‘out of the hands of the industry’ and end ‘ethics washing’

Retractions in Nature and Science follow Abderrahmane Kaidi’s resignation from Bristol

Montenegro becomes one of the first countries to outlaw not only plagiarism, but also donation of authorship and fabrication of research results

University said to have known of problems with lab technician’s faked data for several years

Martin Heidingsfelder, who has helped bring down several political high-fliers, still thinks there are plagiarists at the very top of German politics

Marketisation, precarity and global competition have combined to create a vast market for academic ghostwriting, says an anonymous scholar

This growing but still unacknowledged phenomenon in higher education is badly in need of ethical oversight, says an anonymous academic

Diana Mitlin, professor of global urbanism at the University of Manchester, shares her tips on working with politicians and government officials

After years of asking, National Academy of Sciences makes integrity push across university silos