Daniel BuenoOn October 7, 2014, FAPESP began publishing on its website the summary findings of investigations conducted or overseen by the agency in which breaches of good scientific practice were identified. The reports will remain posted on the page Good Scientific Practice (www.fapesp.br/boaspraticas) for a limited time, depending on the nature and seriousness of the violation and pursuant to the terms of Administrative Order PR no. 05/2013.
One of the guiding principles of FAPESP’s policy for protecting the values of research integrity is self-regulation and self-discipline on the part of the scientific community. One step in the implementation of this policy was the 2011 publication of FAPESP’s Code of Good Scientific Practice (www.fapesp.br/boaspraticas/codigo2014.pdf).
FAPESP believes that if a solid culture of research integrity is to be disseminated, it is essential for research institutions and organizations to conduct educational initiatives that will train researchers to identify and respect the values of integrity.
It is also FAPESP’s belief that preserving these values and safeguarding the public trust in science demands that researchers and society at large perceive research institutions and organizations as prepared to respond rapidly and rigorously to any identified breach of good scientific practice.
Under the Code of Good Scientific Practice, all allegations of scientific misconduct during the course of FAPESP-funded research must be investigated fairly and rigorously, either by the agency itself or by the institution where the research was done; in the latter case, the investigation must be supervised by FAPESP.
Out of respect for the legal principle of presumption of innocence and the need to protect the reputation of anyone suspected of violating good scientific practices, the investigations are required to take place behind closed doors. But whenever an investigation proves that good scientific practices have been breached, FAPESP must make the findings public to avert any possible damage to the progress of science and to society at large.
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