The 6th World Conference on Research Integrity addressed new challenges in research integrity and ways of assessing researchers that foster trustworthy research.
There is great change in the way that research is being conducted. International collaborations are now arguably the norm, open research is driving particular behaviours and is more frequently an expectation from funders of research, and a generation of new researchers who grew up with the power of the internet and big data is entering the research workforce. As a result, the way we influence or foster research cultures towards responsible conduct and research integrity is also changing.
There has also never been more research into research integrity and the responsible conduct of research. Applying knowledge and research findings from other fields is providing new insights into the motivations behind research misconduct, the nature of bias and the apparent reproducibility of research findings, and how we might be able to drive more responsible research through mechanisms like education and training, or clear and effective policy.
The 6th World Conference on Research Integrity in Hong Kong, which was co-organized with Melbourne, explored the application of these new research findings to develop new and better solutions to address new challenges for research integrity.
The 6th World Conference on Research Integrity considered:
The 6th World Conference on Research Integrity joined previous world conferences in preparing an outcome statement. The Hong Kong Principles for assessing researchers were formulated and endorsed at the 6th World Conference on Research Integrity. These principles guide research institutions that adopt them to minimise perverse incentives that invite to engage in questionable research practices or worse.