The League of European Research Universities calls for research to be communicated with integrity


The document, led by Rhys Morgan, director of Science Policy, Governance and Integrity at the University of Cambridge, is the result of the collaboration of the LERU’s research communication and integrity groups, in which Begoña Román and Itziar de Lecuona, from the UB faculties of Philosophy and Medicine and Health Sciences, respectively, and Jordi Sopena, from the Institutional Communication unit, participate as UB representatives. The publication warns that, recently, there has been increasing pressure on scientists to communicate their research quickly. The tempos of researchers and those of the media, especially digital media and social networks, are radically different, which can lead to an urgency in disseminating the results that may harm the understanding of the research.
Therefore, LERU stresses that universities should support their teaching and research staff in communicating their research in a clear, honest and transparent way. The document focuses on three areas:
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Sincerity in communicating research: researchers should disclose all key information about the research, as well as the context or potential conflicts of interest.
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Communicating uncertainty: universities should prepare their researchers to explain any uncertainties in their research process.
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Social media: universities should guide their researchers to communicate appropriately through digital media to avoid pitfalls that may undermine their credibility.
This document includes as an annex a questionnaire that can help teaching and research staff to take integrity into account when disseminating scientific results.