News
New project on the culture of scientific research
The Council is co-ordinating a new project that will examine the culture of scientific research in the UK. The project will gather views on the pressures currently experienced by researchers, how this affects the behaviour of researchers and the research they produce, and debate what might be needed to maintain an ethical culture for scientific research in the future.
This project is being led by a Steering Group whose members bring expertise from across the sciences and their communities.
Ottoline Leyser, Chair of the Steering Group, said:
"Many researchers chose a career in science because of the excitement and fulfillment gained from the process of discovery, and because of the tremendous societal value that such discoveries can bring.
But increasingly researchers are finding that their day to day lives are less about science and its application, and more about pressures to publish in particular journals, secure funding from particular sources and demonstrate various types of research impact.
We are interested in the effects these and other pressures are having on the culture of research and the consequences for the quality and integrity of the research process.
Many factors work together to create the research culture, including how the quality and value of research is assessed, how funding is prioritised and awarded, how researchers are promoted, and how research is communicated to others.
To enable us to investigate these factors across the whole spectrum of scientific research, the Council is delighted to be working on this project with representatives from organisations who will help us engage with communities across the sciences."
A call for views and evidence to find out about the experiences of those involved with the practice of scientific research in the UK will soon be announced. This will be followed by a series of events across the UK throughout 2014 to discuss the issues and consider ideas for change. A report of the outcomes of these activities will be published in winter 2014/15.
Sign up here for alerts about the project.
For further information about the project contact Catherine Joynson at cjoynson@nuffieldbioethics.org
This project is being led by a Steering Group whose members bring expertise from across the sciences and their communities.
Ottoline Leyser, Chair of the Steering Group, said:
"Many researchers chose a career in science because of the excitement and fulfillment gained from the process of discovery, and because of the tremendous societal value that such discoveries can bring.
But increasingly researchers are finding that their day to day lives are less about science and its application, and more about pressures to publish in particular journals, secure funding from particular sources and demonstrate various types of research impact.
We are interested in the effects these and other pressures are having on the culture of research and the consequences for the quality and integrity of the research process.
Many factors work together to create the research culture, including how the quality and value of research is assessed, how funding is prioritised and awarded, how researchers are promoted, and how research is communicated to others.
To enable us to investigate these factors across the whole spectrum of scientific research, the Council is delighted to be working on this project with representatives from organisations who will help us engage with communities across the sciences."
A call for views and evidence to find out about the experiences of those involved with the practice of scientific research in the UK will soon be announced. This will be followed by a series of events across the UK throughout 2014 to discuss the issues and consider ideas for change. A report of the outcomes of these activities will be published in winter 2014/15.
Sign up here for alerts about the project.
For further information about the project contact Catherine Joynson at cjoynson@nuffieldbioethics.org