1. Research Integrity & Publication Ethics: a global perspective
Elizabeth Wager PhD
Publications Consultant, Sideview Co-Editor-in-Chief : Research Integrity & Peer Review Visiting Professor, University of Split, Croatia

2. Challenges of global collaboration Long-distance investigation
Global problems
?Global standards
Pressure to publish
Predatory publishers
Challenges of global collaboration
Long-distance investigation
Research waste
Global initiatives
COPE
DORA statement
Beall’s List
WCRI
Singapore Statement
Montreal Declaration
REWARD
RIPR
EASE

3. Challenges for journal editors
E-journals now attract international submissions
Can journals apply local standards to all research?
Human research in countries without RECs
Different REC requirements
Animal research

4. Reviewer comment

5. Details supplied by authors
“Following the guidelines of UCL … and of NRES, such a questionnaire is exempt from requiring REC approval”

6. What was the study?
A voluntary, anonymous questionnaire to professional medical writers (invited via / websites) about their knowledge of publication guidelines

7. Editors should assess whether a study was ethical / had the appropriate approval … and should reject if not

8. Editors should assess whether a study was ethical / had the appropriate approval … and should reject if not

9. International submissions
Is misconduct increasing? Or are we just getting better at spotting it?
Journals shouldn’t ignore:
Fake reviewers
Plagiarism
Redundant publication (“self-plagiarism”)
Fabrication / falsification
Authorship disputes

11. Pressure to publish
Nearly all countries use number of publications to measure productivity
Some countries give ££ bonuses for publication in high impact factor journals

12. The impact factor “has become an obsession in world science”
The impact factor “has become an obsession in world science”
IFs “warp the way that research is conducted, reported, and funded”
Aims to “eliminate the use of journal-based metrics” to assess research output

13. An unwelcome response to pressure to publish
Predatory publishers
693 publishers standalone journals
(increase from 23 in 2012)
Scam journals, not peer-reviewed, not indexed, publish anything
Many based in India
LMIC researchers vulnerable

14.
“whitelist” of legitimate OA journals

15. Challenges Lack of global standards on research integrity
Difficulties of international collaboration

16. World Conferences on Research Integrity (WCRI)

17. http://www. singaporestatement. org/ http://www. researchintegrity

18. WCRI-5 Amsterdam, 2017

19. How should journals approach suspected misconduct from far-flung institutions?
When to contact the institution?
Concerns about fair treatment of those accused / whistleblowers
Concerns about quality of investigation
What to do when institutions don’t respond?

21. ICMJE Added new authorship criterion (2013)
1) substantial contributions to conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and
2) drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
3) final approval of the version to be published; and
4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any parts of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

22. Current concerns Waste in research: Unoriginal research Poor design
Poor reporting

23. Weak design in animal studies over-estimates effect size
Randomization
Group size
Blinded assessment
Review of 1117 studies in multiple sclerosis
Vesterinen et al MS 2010;16:1044

24. 50% of clinical trials unpublished
Of EU-funded health research
50% unpublished
570 million Euros of research had “no detectable academic output”
Situation may be improving but evidence-base for most prescribed medicines is badly affected by non-publication
Galsworthy et al Lancet 2012;380:971

25. Initiatives to reduce waste in medical research
Prioritisation / question setting
Trial registration
Full reporting
High quality reporting

26. What else do we need? Research on research and reporting / peer review
Editors sharing good practice

27. EASE
Theme: “Scientific integrity: editors on the front line”

28. New journal

29. Conclusions There are plenty of challenges (some old, some new)
New technology & globalisation brings new opportunities and challenges
But there are also many global initiatives