WE MUST SAFEGUARD THE INTEGRITY OF RESEARCH

Development, growth and competitiveness in science are based on new ideas generated through research. The society constantly expects new ideas, inventions from the scientific and research community to improve their lives and lifestyles. Indeed many break-through innovations witnessed in information and communication technology, health and infrastructure sectors are the fruits of intense research work.

However, there are instances when misconduct occurs along the research chain due to a myriad of reasons, which have eroded public confidence in the ability of research to solve their challenges and its authority to inform policy formulation. Who is responsible for research integrity and how can the research community reinstate public confidence in research systems?

Ensuring research integrity is the responsibility of research funding institutions, specific institutions where the research is being done, the researchers and scientists as well as the society who inform the type of research and are sources of data and information.

Funding institutions are account- able to the public as well as private funds for resources they disburse for research and development and need to put measures to ensure integrity in the research they fund.   The Science, Technology and Innovations Act of 2013 mandates NACOSTI to evaluate research applications submitted to them for funding and if satisfied that the conduct of the research is beneficial to the country, and, that the research shall not adversely affect any aspect of the nature, environment or the security of the country, issue to the applicant a license.  A panel of experts at NACOSTI reviews the proposals, from researchers.

The law also  provides that   set standards, guidelines and codes are adhered to  in order  to ensure  and maintain standards and  ethics  in research  and  that  universities and research institutions avail all discoveries, inventions from their research work for public use. Ethics as a scientific culture needs to  be  inculcated in  the  researchers and  scientists  right  from  their student days and  universities and research  institutions must  step up training on  research  integrity  and good  ethical  practices  when  conducting research.  They must develop institution-based guidelines for research practices as well as establish research ethics committees within their research and development departments.

Effective supervision and mentorship will instill good practices and ethics in postgraduate students undertaking research as senior scientists walk with the students through their research work. Also, they must encourage critical peer-review of research work to assure quality, put up mechanisms to authenticate research results from their laboratories and working stations so that falsification and results manipulation can be detected.