Research integrity: emerging and endemic threats

Research misconduct is a growing problem in academia, including in the physical sciences. Growth in global scientific output, increasing pressure on researchers to ‘publish or perish’, and technological developments have all contributed to a rising prevalence of research misconduct, as well as the emergence of new, difficult-to-spot, forms of misconduct. In this talk, Kim Eggleton (Research Integrity and Inclusion Manager, IOP Publishing) and Laura Feetham (Reviewer Engagement Manager, IOP Publishing) will discuss the history of research misconduct, the prevalence of common kinds of misconduct in the physical sciences and how researchers can spot them when acting as peer reviewers. Topics will include plagiarism, image manipulation, data fabrication, and guest/gift authorship plus emerging issues such as paper mills and fake peer review. The presenters will give an overview of the IOP Peer Review Excellence programme, which aims to train peer reviewers to spot and report misconduct when they see it, as well as promoting quality peer review in the physical sciences. At the end of the session, Kim and Laura will facilitate a Q&A in which attendees can offer their input about how to prevent misconduct and safeguard research integrity in the physical sciences.