Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study
Introduction In the past decade, global health research has seen a growing emphasis on research integrity and fairness. The concept of research integrity emerged in response to the reproducibility crisis in science during the late 2000s. Research fairness initiatives aim to enhance ownership and inc...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMJ Publishing Group
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | BMJ Global Health |
| Online Access: | https://gh.bmj.com/content/9/3/e013917.full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846101832698429440 |
|---|---|
| author | Sandra Alba Rutuja Patil Martijn Wienia Masja Straetemans Francis Kombe Gowri Gopalakrishna Harry Coleman Nima Yaghmaei Joseph Bukulu Sempa Jake D Mathewson Hannah Kabelka Preeti Sohoni |
| author_facet | Sandra Alba Rutuja Patil Martijn Wienia Masja Straetemans Francis Kombe Gowri Gopalakrishna Harry Coleman Nima Yaghmaei Joseph Bukulu Sempa Jake D Mathewson Hannah Kabelka Preeti Sohoni |
| author_sort | Sandra Alba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction In the past decade, global health research has seen a growing emphasis on research integrity and fairness. The concept of research integrity emerged in response to the reproducibility crisis in science during the late 2000s. Research fairness initiatives aim to enhance ownership and inclusivity in research involving partners with varying powers, decision-making roles and resource capacities, ultimately prioritising local health research needs. Despite extensive academic discussions, empirical data on these aspects, especially in the context of global health, remain limited.Methods To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods study focusing on research integrity and fairness. The study included an online frequency survey and in-depth key informant interviews with researchers from international research networks. The dual objectives were to quantify the frequency of practices related to research integrity and fairness and explore the determinants influencing these practices in global health.Results Out of 145 participants in the quantitative survey (8.4% response rate), findings indicate that global health researchers generally adhere to principles of research integrity and fairness, with variations in reported behaviours. The study identified structural, institutional and individual factors influencing these patterns, including donor landscape rigidity, institutional investments in relationship building, guidelines, mentoring and power differentials among researchers.Conclusion This research highlights that, despite some variations, there is a substantial alignment between research integrity and fairness, with both sharing similar determinants and the overarching goal of enhancing research quality and societal benefits. The study emphasises the potential to explicitly recognise and leverage these synergies, aligning both agendas to further advance global health research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-433aa9d0f1c74210ae6752fe26d25bf6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2059-7908 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Global Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-433aa9d0f1c74210ae6752fe26d25bf62024-12-28T10:45:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082024-03-019310.1136/bmjgh-2023-013917Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods studySandra Alba0Rutuja Patil1Martijn Wienia2Masja Straetemans3Francis Kombe4Gowri Gopalakrishna5Harry Coleman6Nima Yaghmaei7Joseph Bukulu Sempa8Jake D Mathewson9Hannah Kabelka10Preeti Sohoni11KIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, NetherlandsVadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, IndiaNWO-WOTRO Science for Global Development, The Hague, The NetherlandsKIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, NetherlandsEthiXPERT Proprietary NPC, Wierdapark, Pretoria, South AfricaFaculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, NetherlandsKIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, NetherlandsKIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, NetherlandsFaculty of Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaKIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, NetherlandsKIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, NetherlandsVadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, IndiaIntroduction In the past decade, global health research has seen a growing emphasis on research integrity and fairness. The concept of research integrity emerged in response to the reproducibility crisis in science during the late 2000s. Research fairness initiatives aim to enhance ownership and inclusivity in research involving partners with varying powers, decision-making roles and resource capacities, ultimately prioritising local health research needs. Despite extensive academic discussions, empirical data on these aspects, especially in the context of global health, remain limited.Methods To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods study focusing on research integrity and fairness. The study included an online frequency survey and in-depth key informant interviews with researchers from international research networks. The dual objectives were to quantify the frequency of practices related to research integrity and fairness and explore the determinants influencing these practices in global health.Results Out of 145 participants in the quantitative survey (8.4% response rate), findings indicate that global health researchers generally adhere to principles of research integrity and fairness, with variations in reported behaviours. The study identified structural, institutional and individual factors influencing these patterns, including donor landscape rigidity, institutional investments in relationship building, guidelines, mentoring and power differentials among researchers.Conclusion This research highlights that, despite some variations, there is a substantial alignment between research integrity and fairness, with both sharing similar determinants and the overarching goal of enhancing research quality and societal benefits. The study emphasises the potential to explicitly recognise and leverage these synergies, aligning both agendas to further advance global health research.https://gh.bmj.com/content/9/3/e013917.full |
| spellingShingle | Sandra Alba Rutuja Patil Martijn Wienia Masja Straetemans Francis Kombe Gowri Gopalakrishna Harry Coleman Nima Yaghmaei Joseph Bukulu Sempa Jake D Mathewson Hannah Kabelka Preeti Sohoni Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study BMJ Global Health |
| title | Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study |
| title_full | Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study |
| title_fullStr | Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study |
| title_short | Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study |
| title_sort | aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health a mixed methods study |
| url | https://gh.bmj.com/content/9/3/e013917.full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sandraalba aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT rutujapatil aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT martijnwienia aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT masjastraetemans aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT franciskombe aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT gowrigopalakrishna aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT harrycoleman aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT nimayaghmaei aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT josephbukulusempa aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT jakedmathewson aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT hannahkabelka aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy AT preetisohoni aligningtheprinciplesandpracticeofresearchintegrityandresearchfairnessinglobalhealthamixedmethodsstudy |