A short presentation exploring the concept of research integrity from a philosophical perspective and discussing some of the advice and frameworks that support research integrity.

1. Research Integrity:
Philosophical Perspectives
Dr. Robert Farrow
Open Education Research Hub
Institute of Educational Technology
The Open University, UK
rob.farrow@open.ac.uk
@philosopher1978

2. 2
SUMMARY
WP7: QUALITY
• What is WP7? Aims, activities and deliverables
• D7.1 Quality Management System
• Proposed Next Steps

3. 3
Definitions
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
Research should be designed, reviewed and undertaken to ensure recognised
standards of integrity are met, and quality and transparency are assured.
ESRC Framework for Research Ethics
http://www.esrc.ac.uk/files/funding/guidance-for-applicants/esrc-framework-forresearch-ethics-
2015/
Subject to any limitations imposed by agreements to protect confidentiality and
anonymity, researchers must make their data and methods amenable to reasonable
external scrutiny. The assessment of the quality of the evidence supporting any
inferences is an especially important feature of any research and must be open to
scrutiny.
BERA Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research
http://www.bera.ac.uk/researchers-resources/resources-for-researchers
Research should be designed, reviewed and conducted in a way that ensures its
quality, integrity and contribution to the development of knowledge and
understanding. Research that is judged within a research community to be poorly
designed or conducted wastes resources and devalues the contribution of the
participants. At worst it can lead to misleading information being promulgated and can
have the potential to cause harm.
Code of Human Research Ethics. The British Psychological Society.
http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_human_research_ethics.pdf

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Definitions
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
Integrity of the researcher Integrity of the research

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Definitions
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
Integrity of the researcher Integrity of the research
How ‘knowledge’ was produced: ethical; epistemic

6. 6
Definitions (Philosophical)
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
“Integrity is an epistemic virtue: that is, it is a stable disposition that
reliably places its possessor in good epistemic position and leads to
cognitive success” (Scherkoske 2013: 84).
Haack (1976, 2008) advances the idea that integrity itself is indispensable
when it comes to the creation and transmission of knowledge; it is in a
sense the quintessential intellectual virtue.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/integrity/
Haack, S. (1976). ‘Concern for Truth: What it Means, Why it Matters’, Annals-NY-Academy of
Science, 775: 57–63
Haack, S. (1976). The Integrity of Science: What it Means, Why it Matters. Contrastes:
Revista International de Filosofia (Spain), Vol. XII, pp. 5-26, 2007, Available at SSRN:
https://ssrn.com/abstract=1105831
Scherkoske, G. (2013). Integrity and the Virtues of Reason: Leading a Convincing Life, Cambridge
University Press, .

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Integrity in the Vitae Researcher Framework
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/rdf-related/researcher-development-framework-rdf-
vitae.pdf/view

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Research Integrity: A Landscape Study
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
• Researchers are highly motivated to
behave with integrity
• Researchers strongly perceive
temptations to compromise on
research integrity
• Relationships between incentives and
research integrity are deeply complex
• Local culture can strongly influence
behaviour, overriding institutional and
national policy
• Exposure to interdisciplinary,
intersectoral and international research
experiences can be positive for
research integrity
• Systemic pressures and perverse
incentives are deeply embedded
throughout the research ecosystem
• Boosting research integrity requires a
culture of continuous improvement

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Research Integrity: A Landscape Study
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/reports/research-integrity-a-landscape-study

10. 10
The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
This is the UK’s national policy statement on research integrity, and aims to
identify the key commitments required of researchers.
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-
analysis/reports/Documents/2019/the-concordat-to-support-research-
integrity.pdf
Supported by:
Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland; Higher Education Funding
Council for Wales; National Institute for Health Research; Scottish Funding
Council; UK Research and Innovation; UK Research Integrity Office; Universities
UK; Wellcome Trust
Builds on:
• The Singapore Statement on Research Integrity (2010)
• Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research
Collaborations (2013)
• The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2017)

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The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
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The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/the-concordat-for-research-integrity.aspx

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The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
8
The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/the-concordat-for-research-integrity.aspx

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The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
8
The Concordat to Support Research Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
Honesty in all aspects of research, including:
• presentation of research goals, intentions and findings
• reporting on research methods and procedures
• gathering data
• using and acknowledging the work of other researchers
• conveying valid interpretations and making justifiable claims based on research findings
Scrupulous care, thoroughness and excellence in research practice:
• in performing research and using appropriate methods
• in adhering to an agreed protocol where appropriate
• in drawing interpretations and conclusions from the research
• in communicating the results
Transparency and open communication:
• in declaring conflicts of interest
• in the reporting of research data collection methods, including the reuse of data collected for
other purposes
• in the analysis and interpretation of data
• in making research findings widely available, including sharing negative results as
appropriate
• in presenting the work to other researchers and to the general public
Care and respect for:
• all participants in and subjects of research, including humans, animals, the environment and
cultural objects
• the stewardship of research and scholarship for future generations
https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/definition-of-research-integrity

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Seven Reasons to Care About Integrity in Research
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
https://www.scienceeurope.org/our-resources/seven-reasons-to-care-about-integrity-in-research/
1. Safeguard the foundations of science and scholarship
2. Maintain public confidence in research and research evidence
3. Underpin continued public investment in research
4. Protect the reputation and careers of researchers
5. Prevent adverse impacts on the public
6. Promote economic advancement
7. Prevent avoidable waste of resources

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Barriers to Integrity
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
• Pressure to publish / obtain funding / raise profile
• Expectations of funders
• Time pressures
• Impossible to fully mitigate risk; something goes wrong
• Obscure origins of open data
• Bias in data/analysis
• Poor research design
• Self-deception
• Failure to take the views of others seriously
• Plagiarism
• Falsification
• Fabrication
• Financial misconduct
Misconduct ❌

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Summary
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
• Research integrity is both ethical and epistemic
• Integrity is always pursued within a particular social/political context; there is
no universal description
• Research integrity can’t be reduced to the process of obtaining ethical
approval for a project, but getting ethical approval supports the integrity of
the research.
• Research integrity applies across the entirety of the research process (nb.
MacFarlane, 2009)
• Research integrity refers to both the inquiry and the inquirer.
• Ensuring the integrity of research can involve a wide range of stakeholders (as
in the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, 2019)
• Instruments like the Concordat go a long way in supporting the right kinds of
actions and reflections, but we can’t codify ‘integrity’ as it is more like a virtue
that is enhanced through practice and experience; it’s not enough to just
‘follow the rules’

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The Virtuous Researcher
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
Phase Meaning
Framing Questions, problems, hypotheses, issues, projects, proposals
Negotiating Access, content, permissions, time, support, gatekeepers
Generating Data, materials, ideas, inspiration
Creating Results, interpretations, models, concepts, theories, critiques, designs,
artefacts
Disseminating Publication, exhibition, performance
Reflecting On epistemological and personal learning
MarFarlane argues that the whole research process is of ethical concern – not just
the formal ethical review process. MacFarlane combines this framework with the
concept of the golden mean to produce a virtue framework that focuses on phases
and virtues.
Phase Deficit Mean Excess
Framing Cowardice Courage Recklessness
Negotiating Manipulatives Respectfulness Partiality
Generating Laziness Resoluteness Inflexibility
Creating Concealment Sincerity Exaggeration
Disseminating Boastfulness Humility Timidity
Reflecting Dogmatism Reflexivity Indecisions
Macfarlane, B. (2009). Researching with integrity: the ethics of academic inquiry. New York
and London, Routledge.

19. THANK YOU
rob.farrow@open.ac.uk
@philosopher1978
https://iet.open.ac.uk/
oerhub.net