Research

Research misconduct accounts for a much higher proportion of retractions in biomedical literature than previously believed, a new study has concluded.

A renowned immunologist whose life was turned upside down when it emerged that one of his postdoctoral researchers had falsified experimental results tells Paul Jump that the sector needs a culture change if it is to fulfil its duty to expose research misconduct

For six years the government has targeted the decline in UK health research. But a law putting GPs in charge of allocating local resources has left many clinicians fearing that those advances could be derailed. Elizabeth Gibney reports

Unlike our major competitors, the UK has avoided a major research misconduct scandal over the past decade, but unless the government and the academy shake off their complacency, we won’t be ready when it is our turn to suffer, argues Michael Farthing

Research funders’ long-awaited “concordat” on research integrity deliberately steers clear of “heavy-handed regulation”, one of its authors has said.

Bullying and fear of being fired may deter staff from lifting lid on scientific misconduct. Jack Grove writes

Dutch begin documenting top psychologist’s supermassive fraud

Miles Hewstone discusses a heinous data-faking scandal and the lessons that must be learned to stop the ‘betrayers of the truth’

MPs want to see a more robust and transparent peer-review process. Paul Jump writes

The UK needs an independent regulator to oversee research integrity, a committee of MPs has concluded.

UKRIO, set up to ensure probity in research, needs funds - but some can’t see a role for it, writes Paul Jump

Global ethics guidelines set out researchers’ duties to be clear and above board, writes Paul Jump

Personal testimony and anecdote enliven a text on a vital subject, writes Michael Farthing