An Introduction to Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity

Abstract

This chapter outlines the aims for the handbook. A main aim is to be a first point of contact for contemporary information, issues, and challenges in the fields of research ethics and scientific integrity. It is aimed at researchers, reviewers, and policymakers to help them pursue the best ways forward in seeking ethics and integrity in all research across disciplines, methods, subjects, participants, and contexts. The authors form a global network of scholars, practitioners, and researchers with a range of experience and insights that scope a challenging field but one that is vital to the maintenance of research standards and public confidence in science. Fact-based policymaking remains under threat from political and ideological pressures. Scientists and researchers in all disciplines and professions hold a clear responsibility to protect their subjects, research participants, and society from pressures, interests, and prejudices that risk undermining the value of their work. This overview outlines how the handbook is constructed and how readers might gain from it.