Scientific integrity is essential to the proper functioning of scientific communities, and is also the foundation of a relationship of trust between the world of research and the other components of society..
Beyond disciplinary diversity, good research practices are based on common principles, as set out in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. :
- Reliability in the creation, methodology, analysis and use of resources.
- Respect towards colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage and the environment.
- Honesty in the creation, execution, evaluation and dissemination of research, in a transparent, fair, complete and objective manner.
- Responsability for research activities, from idea to publication, their management and organization, for training, supervision and mentoring, and for the more general implications of research.
- Transparency : Since June 2023, the European code of conduct for scientific integrity recommends the transparency : concealing the use of AI or automated tools in the creation of content or the writing of publications is now considered a breach of scientific integrity.
- Scientific integrity in law
- HCERES : Presentation of OFIS: Office français de l'intégrité scientifique, the French reference for scientific integrity
- OFIS website
- Corvol Report: Assessment and proposals for implementing the national scientific integrity charter
- OFIS : Scientific integrity Vade-mecum
- European Code for Research Integrity
- Doctoral oath (UniCA)
- French Charter of Ethics for Research Professionals
- Listing of core references : Internationally, in Europe an d in France
And :
- Université Côte d'azur : Ethics and scientific integrity
- MIS : CNRS scientific integrity mission
- Paris Observatory scientific integrity website : 2019 seminars
- Paris Observatory scientific integrity website: 2018 seminars
- Protecting yourself from predatory publishers (from The Observatory's Library)
- How to recognize predatory publishers
- List of predatory magazines
- Anti-plagiarism software ((from The Observatory's Library)
With the AI Act, the European Union has clearly positioned itself as a leader in the regulation of AI tools. As research is one of the sectors that generative AI can transform very quickly, the European Commission has also published guidelines for responsible use in science, “aimed at preserving the integrity of research”. Addressed to researchers, research organizations and funding agencies, these recommendations are based on the charters and guides drawn up since the end of 2022 by various bodies (COPE, ALLEA, etc.). Unsurprisingly, the key words are transparency and accountability (see “Ofis takes stock”).
While encouraging researchers to make the most of these new tools, they are also asked to avoid using them in certain practices, such as peer review of articles and evaluation of research projects. Research institutions, for their part, are required to provide or facilitate training in these tools, and to monitor the way in which they are developed and used within their organization.
Alongside these guidelines, a scientific opinion from a group of scientific advisors to the European Commission takes a broader look at the issues raised by AI in research, and calls for the creation of a “European Institute for AI in Science”. And while the political line in the USA is less in favor of regulation, the scientific communities share the European reflections and are calling for the same type of recommendations. In an editorial in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 24 scientists, including Marcia McNutt, President of the US National Academy of Sciences, propose five principles to be followed, and call for the creation of a Strategic Council on the Responsible Use of AI in Science.