In order for government bodies to make informed, science-based decisions, open and honest communication has to exist – both among the scientists consulting key decision-makers, and in the government scientists’ communication to the public and media. A new paper outlines how such scientific integrity is currently under threat in Canada, Australia and the US, and how these threats can be efficiently addressed. Scientific integrity standards are intended to ensure the objectivity and reproducibility of scientific results and to insulate the scientific process from political or other interference, censorship, or communication restrictions. The study also proposed eight reforms to safeguard scientific integrity. These recommendations include: strengthening scientific integrity policies; a guarantee to public access to scientific information; broadening the scope of independent peer reviews; and many others.
Authors:
Carlos Carroll, Brett Hartl, Gretchen T. Goldman, Daniel J. Rohlf, Adrian Treves, Jeremy T. Kerr, Euan G. Ritchie, Richard T. Kingsford, Katherine E. Gibbs, Martine Maron, James E. M. Watson
Corresponding Canadian authors:
Jeremy Kerr, University Research Chair in Macroecology and Conservation, Biology, University of Ottawa, ON, Email: jkerr@uottawa.ca
Katie Gibbs, Executive Director, Evidence for Democracy, Email: katie@evidencefordemocracy.ca
Original paper published in Conservation Biology on July 25, 2017.
