The InterAcademy Council (IAP), an entity that gathers together science academies from all over the world, published a set of guidelines about responsible conduct in research that portrays a type of international consensus. According to the 62-page report, it is researchers who are primarily responsible for acting in an ethical manner. They therefore need to establish clear rules of conduct in the initial stages of international collaboration, as well as agree in advance as to who will be credited with authorship of the scientific articles that result from these partnerships. Reviewers of scientific articles must act fairly and determine potential conflicts of interest. Research-sponsoring institutions themselves need to have mechanisms for investigating allegations of misconduct, in addition to encouraging educational and training programs for students and researchers. Research agencies need to avoid systems that favor quantity over quality in evaluating scientists. The report is available here.
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