Select Committee · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Reproducibility and research integrity

Status: Closed Opened: 22 Jul 2021 Closed: 19 Feb 2024 21 recommendations 7 conclusions 1 report

As the UK seeks to recover from the pandemic, research and innovation has the ability to drive economic growth, with UKRI estimating that every £1 spent on research and development delivers £7 in economic and social benefit. However, the integrity of research, especially medical and social science research, is at risk from what is known …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Research Integrity HC 101 10 May 2023 28 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
1 Conclusion Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Rese… Accepted

Insufficient quantitative evidence on UK research integrity issues hinders effective policy responses.

Although qualitative evidence indicates a potentially substantial scale of research integrity issues in the UK, there is a lack of quantitative evidence, including on the relative significance of the different causes of problems. This can only hamper efforts to evaluate damage being caused to the UK research sector in terms …

Government response. The government states that the newly established UKRI Committee on Research Integrity (UK CORI) has a role in improving the evidence base on research integrity, thereby addressing the identified lack of quantitative data.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
9 Recommendation Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Rese… Accepted

Foster an environment where research integrity and reproducibility are championed across the community

Most reproducibility issues are, in the main, not the result of deliberate bad practice. Many of the incentives faced by individuals conducting research act against reproducibility. Whilst individuals must take responsibility for conducting work which prioritises robust analysis and transparency, and for promoting the importance of reproducibility within their research …

Government response. The government partially accepts the recommendation, stating that UKRI is already supporting the research community in promoting integrity and reproducibility through various initiatives. These include shifting incentives via narrative CVs, changes to the REF process, hosting a research resource hub, …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
14 Recommendation Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Rese… Accepted

Incorporate mandatory reproducibility training and professional development for researchers throughout their careers

Institutions should incorporate mandatory reproducibility training and professional development plans for researchers across the course of their career. (Paragraph 83) Reproducibility and Research Integrity 51

Government response. The government accepts the recommendation, stating UKRI's Collective Talent Funding programme and its Doctoral Training Centres and Partnerships already aim to provide high-quality, consistent development and training for researchers across different career stages, supporting skill development for doctoral students.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
24 Conclusion Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Rese… Accepted

Academic reward structures disincentivise research reproducibility and integrity.

Reward structures in academia disincentivise reproducibility by placing disproportionate value on secured funding and frequent publication in prestigious journals.

Government response. The government partially accepts, explaining that UKRI has an extensive portfolio of ongoing work to shift incentives in the research system, including narrative CVs, changes to the REF, funding for the UK Reproducibility Network, and supporting the UK Committee on …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Oral evidence sessions

4 sessions
Date Witnesses
2 Feb 2022 George Freeman MP · Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, James Parry · UK Research Integrity Office, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser · UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) View ↗
19 Jan 2022 Dr Adrian Weller · University of Cambridge, Professor Sebastian Vollmer · TU Kaiserslautern View ↗
15 Dec 2021 Dr Alina Chan · Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19, Dr Ben Goldacre · Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Dr Elizabeth Moylan · Wiley, Dr Jessica Butler · University of Aberdeen, Dr Ritu Dhand · Springer Nature, Richard Horton · The Lancet, The Viscount Ridley DL · Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19 View ↗
1 Dec 2021 Dr Ivan Oransky · Retraction Watch, Dr Janine Austin Clayton · Office of Research on Women’s Health at the United States National Institute for Health, Professor Dorothy Bishop · University of Oxford, Professor Marcus Munafò · UK Reproducibility Network Steering Group, Professor Neil Ferguson OBE · Imperial College London View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
25 Feb 2022 Correspondence from Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, …