Bouter, Lex M.

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Is science in big trouble?

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VU Research PortalIs science in big trouble?Bouter, Lex M.published inEuropean Science Editing2016DOI (link to publisher)10.20316/ESE.2016.42.026document versionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordLink to publication in VU Research Portalcitation for published version (APA)Bouter, L. M. (2016). Is science in big trouble? European Science Editing, 42(4), 86.https://doi.org/10.20316/ESE.2016.42.026General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright ownersand it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.            • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research.            • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain            • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ?Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.E-mail address:vuresearchportal.ub@vu.nlDownload date: 26. May. 2021Editorial: “Is science in big trouble?”elsevier.com/connect/editorial-is-science-in-big-troubleIn 2017, Elsevier will once again sponsor the World Conference on Research Integrity . We share the samedesire to promote the integrity of research – from proper design methodology to ethical submission andpublication to making research data available for re-use.For this Elsevier Connect story, we asked Prof. Lex Bouter of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam  to provide anintroduction to the conference. The following editorial was previously published in European Science Editing assuch an introduction – and we are grateful to Prof. Bouter and the European Association of Science Editors fortheir permission to republish it here.— IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg , PhD, SVP Research Integrity, ElsevierIs science in big trouble?Recently a sobering overview of the seven biggest problems facing science1 suggested that science is in bigtrouble. Although the authors conclude that science is not doomed, they make it abundantly clear that there is anurgent need for improvement. The problems mentioned concern poor study design, failing peer review, lack ofreplicability, and the counterproductive stress young academics face. Number one on the list is shortage ofresearch funds, leading to a perverse incentive to produce positive and spectacular results. A recent survey inTimes Higher Education suggested that there is indeed a huge problem with research integrity.2In my view lack of money in the absolute sense is probably not the main driver of questionable researchpractices or worse. But the available finances relative to the scientific work force may very well be an importantdeterminant. The fact that in my country and elsewhere the ‘hit rate’ of grant applications is now below 10% maybe a strong driver to cut corners with a view to making your work look more spectacular. Next to increasingbudgets, which is unlikely to happen, a decrease in the number of scientists is an option we may need toconsider seriously.Maybe even more important is the poor value for money we get in research, as was quite convincingly illustratedfor biomedical research3,4. Even when the actual proportion of ‘research waste’ is substantially less than 85%there is still a lot of room for improvement. The road ahead seems to consist of more critical assessment of therelevance of the research questions and the quality of the research methods. Once a project is funded it’s crucialthat full transparency of all aspects is realised, including complete reporting of its results. That will makeresearch slower and projects more expensive. Consequently, fewer projects can be granted with the samebudget.These worries about the relevance, quality and integrity of science emphasise the need to act and to fosterresponsible research practices more strongly by means of offering education focussing on the dilemmasscientists face, introducing effective regulations, and making the necessary changes in the system of science.Although a sound empirical basis is not yet available, we have enough insight in the dos and don’ts to act5–8.Important forums for reflection and debate on ways to improve research practices are the world conferences onresearch integrity. The next one will be in Amsterdam in May 2017.9The 5th World Conference on Research Integrity will be organized around the interlinked themes of transparencyand accountability, building on the premise that the honesty and reliability of research are best served by openlysharing all aspects of research and by taking personal responsibility for it. The conference programme willexplore the challenges of promoting transparency and accountability and the consequences of the failure to doso, with the overall goal of developing an evidence-based agenda for addressing the various lapses of integritythat seem to have become an endemic problem in research today.1/3The world conferences on research integrity have produced two consensus documents: the SingaporeStatement on Research Integrity10 and the Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-BoundaryResearch Collaborations11. One goal of the 5th WCRI will be to develop the Amsterdam Agenda for PromotingTransparency and Accountability. This is initially envisioned as an action-oriented one-page statement drawingattention to the urgent need to fight questionable research practices. Drafts will be made available before theconference with ample opportunity for discussion and debate with a view to improving and focussing on the finaldocument.Readers have a responsibility for improving the relevance, quality and integrity of scientific research, with anemphasis on the prevention of selective reporting. I very much hope to welcome you to the 5th World Conferenceon Research Integrity.References1. Belluz J, Plumer B, Resnick B. The 7 biggest problems facing science, according to 270 scientists. 2016;Available at: http://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process (last accessed on September 10th 2016).2. Williams J. Is there a problem with academic integrity? Times Higher Education. 2016;https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/is-there-a-problem-with-academic-integrity (last accessedon September 10th 2016).3. http://www.thelancet.com/campaigns/efficiency (last accessed on September 10th 2016).4. Ioannidis JPA. Why Most Clinical Research Is Not Useful. PLoS Med 13(6): e1002049.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.10020495. Hiney M. Research Integrity: What it Means, Why it Is Important and How we Might Protect it. 2015;Available at: http://www.scienceeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Briefing_Paper_Research_Integrity_web.pdf (last accessed on September 10th2016).6. Doing Global Science: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in the Global Research Enterprise. 2016;Available at: http://www.interacademycouncil.net/File.aspx?id=29431 (last accessed on September 10th2016).7. San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. Available at: http://www.ascb.org/dora/8. Wilsdon J. et al. The Metric Tide: Report of the Independent Review of the Role of Metrics in ResearchAssessment and Management. 2015: DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4929.13639. 5th World Conference on Research Integrity. Available at: http://www.wcri2017.org/ (last accessed onSeptember 10th 2016).10. Singapore Statement on Research Integrity. Available at:http://www.singaporestatement.org/downloads/singpore%20statement_A4size.pdf (last accessed onSeptember 10th 2016).11. Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research Collaborations.http://www.researchintegrity.org/Statements/Montreal%20Statement%20English.pdf (last accessed onSeptember 10th 2016).This article was reprinted with permission from European Science Editing. You can find the original article here.The conferenceThe 5th World Conference on Research Integrity will take place in Amsterdam May 28-31, 2017. On Twitter,follow @WCRI2017.2/3Related workshopIn conjunction with the conference, Elsevier is co-organizing a workshop on “The Role of Text and ImageProcessing in Fostering Responsible Research Practices.” This workshop is for people interested in exploringcurrent and future applications of technology for better science, with a focus on how text mining and imageprocessing technologies can be used in this context. Aside from publishers, editors and others directly involvedin validation of research, the workshop is also seeking participation from experts in applicable technology areaslike text mining, natural language processing and image processing.The workshop will feature a variety of presenters from academia and industry, including researchers, developersand software providers, and there will be ample opportunity for discussion. To participate, you need to register forthe 5th WCRI.  We will post more details here soon.— IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg3/3

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Is science in big trouble?

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