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

1 item
2 Conclusion Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Rese… Not Addressed

Prioritise addressing reproducibility challenges comprehensively across all academic research disciplines.

Though the specific problems faced differ, all research disciplines are affected by the systemic issues that limit reproducibility. The established view that issues are concentrated in the social and medical sciences is outdated and tackling reproducibility challenges should be a priority in every research field, regardless of discipline and methodology.

Government response. The government's response highlights the variability in reproducibility requirements and practices across different research fields funded by UKRI, without directly addressing the committee's call for tackling reproducibility to be a priority in every field.
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, …