Fostering responsible research practices is a shared responsibility of multiple stakeholders

In their recent commentary, Wallach et al. explain that breaches of research integrity will typically do damage to the reliability and validity of biomedical research [ [1] Wallach J. Gonsalves G. Ross J. Research, regulatory and clinical decision-making: the importance of scientific integrity. J Clin Epidemiol. 2018; 93: 88-93 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (13) Google Scholar ]. This may harm regulatory and clinical decision-making. Consequently health care and public health may suffer. They point out that prevalent questionable research practices like poor study design, low power and selective reporting probably do substantially more damage than the rare occurrence of the classical “deadly sins” of fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. Wallach et al. do not dwell much on the causes of the shortcomings listed in their table 1 and take the view that the remedy should come from better guidelines, more transparency, and mandatory training [ [1] Wallach J. Gonsalves G. Ross J. Research, regulatory and clinical decision-making: the importance of scientific integrity. J Clin Epidemiol. 2018; 93: 88-93 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (13) Google Scholar ]. Research, regulatory, and clinical decision-making: the importance of scientific integrityJournal of Clinical EpidemiologyVol. 93PreviewThe biomedical research enterprise—from the bench to the bedside—is built on a foundation of trust. Researchers are expected to meet rigorous standards of quality when designing and conducting studies. Regulators are expected to critically evaluate the quality of research and make honest, accurate, and efficient decisions that will lead to improvements in patient well-being and public health. Health care workers are expected to rely on the best evidence available in clinical care, based on guidelines in their field or in the medical literature. Full-Text PDF Orchestrated efforts to foster responsible researchJournal of Clinical EpidemiologyVol. 104PreviewIn his paper “Fostering responsible research practices is a shared responsibility of multiple stakeholders” (April 2018), Lex M. Bouter [1] highlights and appeals for orchestrated efforts to foster responsible research. We applaud Bouter's scholarship on promoting transparency and openness in biomedical research, and we share the same concern on the current replicability crisis.