SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY, DEFINITION:
As stated on the website of the French Office for Scientific Integrity (OFIS):
“Scientific integrity refers to the set of rules and values that must govern research activities in order to guarantee their honesty and rigor. Mentioned in the Research Code (Article L. 211-2), it helps to guarantee the impartiality of research and the objectivity of its results.
The essential principles are:
- Reliability in design, methodology, analysis, and use of resources.
- Respect for colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the environment.
- Honesty in the design, conduct, evaluation, and dissemination of research in a transparent, fair, complete, and objective manner.
- Responsibility for research activities, from conception to publication, their management and organization, for training, supervision, and mentoring, and for the broader implications of research.
What is research integrity?
MISSIONS:
On January 1, 2020, the IMRB established a Scientific Integrity Unit (CIS-IMRB). The main missions of this unit are:
- To reiterate the principles of scientific integrity.
- To prevent possible sources of scientific misconduct and promote good laboratory practices, by providing guidance on how to prevent problems and reminding staff of good practices in terms of article authorship.
- Respond to requests for information, assistance, or advice anonymously (signatures, suspected breaches of integrity, feelings of injustice, pressure to perform, etc.).
- If necessary, set up mediation for any conflicts that are reported to it. In this context, all of the unit’s actions will be carried out in strict compliance with confidentiality and the presumption of good faith on the part of all those involved.
The cell is composed of the deputy director of the IMRB, Jorge Boczkowski, and four representatives from different areas of research: Agathe Tarze for researchers and teacher-researchers, Raphaël Courcoux for doctoral students, Maëlys Born-Bony for postdoctoral researchers, and a representative for engineers, technicians, and administrative staff (currently being renewed).
HOW THE CIS WORKS WHEN CONTACTED
If you have a question about a subject or situation related to scientific integrity, the CIS or its members can be contacted by email (cis.imrb@inserm.fr) or in person. Upon contact, the person contacting the CIS may choose to remain completely anonymous and decide whether or not to share the situation with all CIS members. No action will be taken without the prior consent of that person.
If agreement is reached, the CIS discusses the situation at its weekly meeting. Depending on the nature of the case, the CIS decides whether to take it on or to refer the person who contacted it to the appropriate authorities. CIS members also watch out for potential conflicts of interest and step aside if their presence could create one. To best answer the questions asked, the CIS can contact, with the consent of the person concerned, the scientific integrity advisors of the IMRB’s supervisory bodies: Ghislaine Filliatreau (ghislaine.filliatreau@inserm.fr) for INSERM, the Ethics, Professional Conduct and Scientific Integrity Committee (cedis@u-pec.fr) for UPEC.
After this meeting and any contact with the relevant authorities, the CIS sends a response to the person who contacted them. This may be a simple answer to a question, advice on a specific situation, or a proposal to set up mediation.
RESOURCES
Website of the Organization for Ethical and Responsible Research (Lorier): https://lorier.inserm.fr/
Website of the French Office for Scientific Integrity (OFIS): https://www.ofis-france.fr/
Website of the INSERM Scientific Integrity Delegation: https://pro.inserm.fr/rubriques/en-labo/recherche-responsable/integrite-scientifique/integrite-scientifique
Dilemma Games website: https://www.eur.nl/en/about-university/policy-and-regulations/integrity/research-integrity/dilemma-game
CIS resource SharePoint: https://upecnumerique.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/sites/IMRB/baseDocumentaire/CIS?csf=1&web=1&e=vpBOUK
The CIS is also open to suggestions! Please feel free to share any articles, resources, or training courses related to scientific integrity with us so that we can share them with as many people as possible.
Contact: cis.imrb@inserm.fr
