Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Vadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
BMJ Glob Health. 2024 Mar 22;9(3):e013917. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013917.
In the past decade, global health research has seen a growing emphasis on research integrity and fairness. The concept of research integrity emerged in response to the reproducibility crisis in science during the late 2000s. Research fairness initiatives aim to enhance ownership and inclusivity in research involving partners with varying powers, decision-making roles and resource capacities, ultimately prioritising local health research needs. Despite extensive academic discussions, empirical data on these aspects, especially in the context of global health, remain limited.
To address this gap, we conducted a mixed-methods study focusing on research integrity and fairness. The study included an online frequency survey and in-depth key informant interviews with researchers from international research networks. The dual objectives were to quantify the frequency of practices related to research integrity and fairness and explore the determinants influencing these practices in global health.
Out of 145 participants in the quantitative survey (8.4% response rate), findings indicate that global health researchers generally adhere to principles of research integrity and fairness, with variations in reported behaviours. The study identified structural, institutional and individual factors influencing these patterns, including donor landscape rigidity, institutional investments in relationship building, guidelines, mentoring and power differentials among researchers.
This research highlights that, despite some variations, there is a substantial alignment between research integrity and fairness, with both sharing similar determinants and the overarching goal of enhancing research quality and societal benefits. The study emphasises the potential to explicitly recognise and leverage these synergies, aligning both agendas to further advance global health research.
在过去的十年中，全球健康研究越来越强调研究诚信和公平。研究诚信的概念是为了应对 21 世纪后期科学领域的可重复性危机而出现的。研究公平倡议旨在提高在涉及权力、决策角色和资源能力各异的合作伙伴的研究中的所有权和包容性，最终优先考虑当地的健康研究需求。尽管学术界进行了广泛的讨论，但这些方面的实证数据，特别是在全球健康背景下的数据仍然有限。
为了解决这一差距，我们进行了一项混合方法研究，重点关注研究诚信和公平。该研究包括对来自国际研究网络的研究人员进行在线频率调查和深入的关键知情者访谈。双重目标是量化与研究诚信和公平相关的实践的频率，并探讨影响这些实践的决定因素在全球健康。
在 145 名参与定量调查的参与者中（8.4%的回应率），调查结果表明，全球健康研究人员普遍遵守研究诚信和公平原则，报告的行为存在差异。该研究确定了影响这些模式的结构、制度和个人因素，包括捐赠者景观的僵化、机构对建立关系的投资、准则、指导和研究人员之间的权力差异。
这项研究表明，尽管存在一些差异，但研究诚信和公平之间存在着很大的一致性，两者都有相似的决定因素和总体目标，即提高研究质量和社会效益。该研究强调了明确认识和利用这些协同作用的潜力，使这两个议程都能进一步推进全球健康研究。
