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Reproducibility and research integrity

Inquiry

As the UK seeks to recover from the pandemic, research and innovation has the ability to drive economic growth, with UKRI estimating that every £1 spent on research and development delivers £7 in economic and social benefit. However, the integrity of research, especially medical and social science research, is at risk from what is known as the ‘reproducibility crisis’ (i.e. it being very difficult or impossible to replicate a scientific study).

As early as 2005, the issue of reproducibility was identified in Ioannidis’ paper, ‘Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,’ and since then a large number of surveys or replication studies have been conducted that show the prominence of the issue.

So far, Government policy has focused on the overall theme of ‘Research Integrity,’ including asking UKRI to establish a national research integrity committee as recommended by our predecessor Committee, but the specific issue of reproducible research has been overlooked.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Thursday 30 September 2021.

Reports, special reports and government responses

View all reports and responses
Sixth Report - Reproducibility and Research Integrity
Inquiry Reproducibility and research integrity
HC 101
Report
Response to this report
Fourth Special Report - Reproducibility and research integrity: Government Response to the Committee's Sixth report
HC 1771
Special Report
Fourth Special Report - Reproducibility and research integrity: Government Response to the Committee's Sixth report
Inquiry Reproducibility and research integrity
HC 1771
Special Report
Correspondence from Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, to the Chair regarding guidance to implement the Concordat to Support Research Integrity in Government
Inquiry Reproducibility and research integrity
HC 606
Correspondence

Oral evidence transcripts

View all oral evidence transcripts
2 February 2022
Inquiry Reproducibility and research integrity
Witnesses Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser (Chief Executive at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)), James Parry (Chief Executive at UK Research Integrity Office), and George Freeman (Minister for Science, Research and Innovation at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
Oral Evidence
19 January 2022
Inquiry Reproducibility and research integrity
Witnesses Professor Sebastian Vollmer (Professor for Application of Machine Learning at TU Kaiserslautern)
Oral Evidence
15 December 2021
Inquiry Reproducibility and research integrity
Witnesses Dr Ben Goldacre (Director at Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford), Dr Jessica Butler (Analytical Lead and Research Fellow at University of Aberdeen), Springer Nature, Dr Elizabeth Moylan (Publisher, Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics at Wiley), The Lancet, Viscount Ridley (Co-author at Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19), and Dr Alina Chan (Co-author at Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19)
Oral Evidence
UK Committee on Research Integrity (RRE0105)
UK Committee on Research Integrity (RRE0104)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (RRE0103)

Other publications

No other publications published.

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