Research Integrity

The IBEC Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (the Code) is one of the actions within the framework of the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) according to the European Charter & Code.

The Code is a framework for good research practice, setting the criteria for proper research behavior and establishing an environment conducive to high-quality research, thus ensuring that research is conducted according to international ethical standards.

The Code complements IBEC policies and procedures such as those for health and safety, working conditions, intellectual property, and does not replace them. Its content is complementary to the laws in force.

Together with the promotion of the Code, IBEC wants to take a proactive role providing training to researchers in this respect throughout their careers and raising awareness on the subject, thus preventing future problems.

The Code sets out the ethical standards and standards of research conduct and sets out principles, recommendations and commitments. By making clear the conduct that is expected and considered effective, the Code contributes to an atmosphere of openness.

The most up-to-date version of the Code can be accessed here.

The Code applies to and should be known by all professionals linked to IBEC at all career stages, so please read it carefully.

The Commission for Research Integrity is a body with a double role: on the one hand it has an advisory role; on the other it makes decisions on misconduct cases. Its main responsibilities are:

• To promote and safeguard good research practice at IBEC.
• To promote awareness and training for researchers at all career stages.
• To monitor compliance with the Code and update it regularly.
• To deal with allegations of research misconduct.

Allegations of research misconduct may be communicated by any IBEC member through any means to any member of the Commission for Research Integrity or the Head of the Human Resources Unit. The specific procedure is detailed in the Code.

The members of the Commission are (renewed at 23/03/2023): 

Sergi Camacho	Managing Director
Jordi Comelles	Senior researcher, Biomimetic systems for cell engineering
Alba Herrero	PhD student, Molecular imaging for precision medicine
Santiago Marco	Group leader, Targeted therapeutics and nanodevices
Carolina Marí	Head of Human Resources
Elisabeth Engel	Group leader, Biomaterials for regenerative therapies group
Silvia Muro	Group leader, Targeted therapeutics and nanodevices group
Josep Samitier	Director
Teresa Sanchis (Secretary of the Commission)	Head of Strategy

Please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Commission for any matter regarding research integrity at IBEC.

You can also use The Ethical Channel to inform about any research integrity issue.

Integrity Pills is a monthly bulletin that briefly inform on current research integrity issues, aiming to create awareness about it at IBEC. It includes three sections: news to reflect current issues, studies to learn and resources to improve practices.

Started: September 2024 

Bulletin	News	Studies	Resources
Sept. 2024	China conducts nationwide audit of researchmisconduct after thousands of papers retracted lastyear Chemistry World (16/02/2024)	Dror Kolodkin-Gal. AI and the future of image integrity in scientific publishing. Sci Edi, 47 (1) (2024). https://doi.org/10.36591/SE-4701-02	ALLEA. The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. Revised Edition 2023. Berlin. https://doi.org/10.26356/ECOC
Oct. 2024	Spanish university head accused of inflating citations to his own work. Science (27/09/2024)	Meursinge Reynders, R.A., Cavagnetto, D., ter Riet, G.et al. Automatically listing senior members of departments as co-authors is highly prevalent inhealth sciences: meta-analysis of survey research. Sci Rep, 14, 5883 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55966-x	GAIN: Global Academic Integrity Network. https://www.globalacademicintegrity.network/
Nov. 2024	Research managers called on to help protectIndigenous knowledge. Nature Index (25/10/2024) Related news: Indigenous people accuse radiologists of secretlystudying their organs. The Washington Post (23/09/2024)	Kim, H., Park, J., Ahn, S. et al. The impact of sex/gender-specific funding and editorial policies on biomedical research outcomes: a cross-nationalanalysis (2000–2021). Sci Rep, 14, 26599 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77018-0	Research Integrity and Peer Review journal. https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/
Des. 2024	Like ‘old Twitter’: The scientific community finds anew home on Bluesky. Science (20/11/2024).	Reisman, Richard. New Logics for Governing Human Discourse in the Online Era. Centre for International Governance Innovation (2024). http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep59652	Ethical issues in research using social media. UKRIO, 2024. https://ukrio.org/ukrio-resources/ethical-issues-in-research-using-social-media/
Jan. 2025	Science sleuths are using technology to find fakery and plagiarism in published research. by Carla K.Johnson, Associated Press (28/01/2024). Related: Introducing the Retraction Watch Sleuth in Residence Program (02/01/2025)	Mora P., Pilia, S. A proposed framework to address metric inflation in research publications. Accountability in Research, 1–22 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2024.2445280	The Retraction Watch Database https://retractiondatabase.org/RetractionSearch.aspx?
Feb. 2025	A shady business operated out of a British mansion is buying up scientific journals to earn millions by publishing mediocre studies. by Manuel Ansede, El País (31/01/2025)	Eaton, S.E. Future-proofing integrity in the age of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology: prioritizing human rights, dignity, and equity. Int J Educ Integr, 20, 21 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-024-00175-2	PubPeer https://pubpeer.com/
Mar. 2025 FOCUS: Research Integrity in Spain	Acabar con la mala ciencia: por qué España necesita una oficina de integridad de la investigación. by Pampa García, El Diario (16/10/2023). [in Spanish]	Candal-Pedreira, C., Álvarez-Dardet, C., Ruano-Ravina, A., & Pérez-Ríos, M. La Oficina de Integridad Científica en España. Una tarea pendiente [The Research Integrity Office in Spain. A pending issue]. Gaceta sanitaria, 36(6), 557–560 (2022). [in Spanish] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2022.02.005	Official organisms Spain Comité Español de Ética de la Investigación (CEEI) (advisory body) > Jordi Camí, presidente del comité de ética: “La autonomía universitaria debería tener límites” Catalunya Comitè per a la Integritat de la Recerca a Catalunya (CIR-CAT) (advisory body) Non official organisms Oficina Española de Integridad en la Investigación (association)
Apr. 2025 CASE: The Macchiarini Case	Disgraced surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, whose crimes inspired an opera, headed to prison. by Gretchen Vogel, Science (18/12/2023). · Paolo Macchiarini (Wikipedia) · The Macchiarini case: Timeline (News from Karolinska Institutet) · The Dashing Italian Surgeon Who Seduced a Reporter to Mask His Bloody Crimes. Netflix docuseries Bad Surgeon chronicles conman Paolo Macchiarini’s reign of terror — resulting in broken hearts and seven dead bodies. by Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone (29/11/2023)	Karolinska Institutet’s Action plan following the Macchiarini case investigations. Numerous measures have been implemented as a result of the deficiencies identified in connection with the Macchiarini case. Specially interesting is the section of The prevention of scientific misconduct.	Researcher Riddles (Springer Nature): Introduction to Research Integrity Image manipulation Conflicts of interest Predatory Publishers Courses: Avoiding paper mills as an author Research Integrity: An Introduction for Researchers
Jun. 2025	‘Unethical’ AI research on Reddit under fire: Ethics experts raise concerns over consent, study design. by Cathleen O’Grady, Science (30/04/2025)	Resnik, D.B., Hosseini, M. The ethics of using artificial intelligence in scientific research: new guidance needed for a new tool. AI Ethics, 5: 1499–1521 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-024-00493-8 Our colleague Galyna Maleeva has recently published this article related to the AI ethics issue: Ungureanu C. y Maleeva G. Bioengineering, AI Spirituality, and Environmental Crisis: Ishiguro’s Posthuman Humanism. Res Publica. Revista de Historia de las Ideas Políticas, 28(1): 97-104 (2025). https://doi.org/10.5209/rpub.99321	UNESCO Recommendation on: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics
Jul. 2025	Transparent peer review to be extended to all of Nature’s research papers.  Nature Editorial (16/06/2025)	Tony Ross-Hellauer, Serge P J M Horbach. Additional experiments required: A scoping review of recent evidence on key aspects of Open Peer Review. Research Evaluation, 33: rvae004 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvae004	Reviewer Credits: Resources for Peer Reviewers https://www.reviewercredits.com/useful-resources-for-peer-reviewers/