¹ú²úÂÒÂ×

Editors

Research integrity

¹ú²úÂÒÂ× strives to share outstanding and robust research. We take a positive and proactive approach to preventing and addressing errors and misconduct. We provide robust training and policies for our editors, and we commit to supporting researchers with best practice in their research. 

Introduction to research integrity at ¹ú²úÂÒÂ×

This one-page introduction to research integrity at ¹ú²úÂÒÂ×, including recent activities, can be viewed in English, German, Chinese, Japanese and French.

¹ú²úÂÒÂ× Research Integrity Group

Our Research Integrity group advises our editors, reviewers, and authors on best practices and ethical conduct in research. We provide training for editors on the fundamentals of publication best practice, and on how to resolve research integrity problems when they arise. In complex cases we will also undertake any investigation required to resolve the case.

How our Research Integrity Team works, and the process we follow when an issue has been detected on a manuscript.

Concerns

To report or comment on research integrity concerns regarding any content published by ¹ú²úÂÒÂ×, please contact the relevant publishing manager or editor via the product homepage. If no publishing contact is identified, please share your concerns with our team below by sending an email to ethics.reporting [@] springernature.com 

Meet the team

Research Integrity shoP_Chris_Graf_280x280uld be synonymous with research best practice. We strive to implement tools, training and processes that support Research Integrity, and ultimately help make research better. That includes training for our internal and external editors; improving transparency and openness with our policies and systems; and using technology to increasingly recognise research misconduct.


Chris Graf, Director of Research Integrity

Chris leads our expert team in developing and implementing our strategy for research integrity. He also volunteers as chair of the governance board for the STM Integrity Hub, and as programme committee member for the World Conference on Research Integrity


Prevention

We provide robust training and resources to maintain the highest standards of editorial practice. Our Codes of Conduct set the standards and expectations for all ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× Editors (internal and external). These are based on guidelines and best practice recommendations issued by organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We also proactively investigate patterns of research misconduct.

The Prevention team:

  • Tamara Welschot,
    Head of Research Integrity, Prevention
  • Jo Appleford-Cook,
    Senior Training Manager
  • Zina Bibanovic,
    Research Integrity Content Coordinator
  • Dom Gray, Humayra Kinoo,
    Senior Integrity Analysts
  • John Bell, Alex Petkov, Adam Rajah,
    Integrity Analysts
  • Eunsang Lee
    Data Analyst

    Resolutions

    We handle reported issues across the whole of ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× that require the input of research integrity experts. 

    The Resolutions team:

    • Tim Kersjes
      Head of Research Integrity, Resolutions
    • Maja Choma, Pauline Starley, Laura Whitehead
      Research Integrity Managers
    • Greta Sharpe, Charlotte Brocklesby, Annelies Voorhaar
      Research Integrity Specialists
    • Svetlana Kleiner
      Senior Research Integrity Adviser
    • Gonçalo Bastos Ventura, Mark Caine, Charlie Crerar, Vidushi Pathak, Manisha Wadhwa
      Research Integrity Advisers
    • Sujata Sarkar
      Team Lead - Research Integrity Support

    • Santosh Bhagwan, Manasi Kapne, Amruta Raut, Pranali Satam
      Research Integrity Support Coordinators

    COPE

    ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× and its journals are members of COPE (the).  COPE’s primary mission is educational; it is an advisory body, not a regulator. There are more than 12,500 COPE members from 103 countries. ¹ú²úÂÒÂ×’s Research Integrity Director, Chris Graf, was one of the first co-chairs of COPE. Our Research Integrity Group works closely with COPE to help them develop new educational resources

    COPE membership helps differentiate legitimate journals from the increasing number of predatory and poor-quality outlets. It is one of the indicators of quality used by important third parties such as  (for Journal Impact Factor) and indexers (e.g. Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed). 

    Core practices

    COPE's , set out clear guidance for publishers, including how allegations of misconduct should be handled; policies on authorship and contributorship, data availability, peer review process and ethics; and processes for complaints and appeals, managing conflict of interest/competing interest, journal management and post-publication discussion and corrections.

    Guides

    COPE publishes a number of for editors to help ensure the integrity of research publishing.

    Flowcharts

    offer step by step practical support on handling different aspects of publication best practice. 


    Reproducibility

    Reproducibility is a foundation of robust research that drives research improvement and greater trust in science. ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× is committed to advancing reproducibility and open research practices across our journals, for example by introducing standardised data sharing policies, and through support for protocol sharing.  Through our editorial policies, publishing infrastructure and partnerships, we aim to drive positive change across the research community and in scholarly publishing.  

    Transparency

    ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× helps authors share their work early and widely, and is working to open up the ‘black box’ of peer review. We support preprint deposition and citation, and multiple models of peer review.

    Transparent Peer Review

    Many ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× journals offer transparent peer review, making peer reviewer reports and authors’ responses to these available alongside the published article.

    Ethics

    We are committed to providing support and advice on best practice and ethical conduct in research, including initiatives to increase the diversity of our commissioned authors, peer reviewers and editorial boards. Find further information on editorial policies and standards for ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× journals on our specific imprint sites.

    Please see our DEI Recruitment Frameworks for Editorial Board Members and reviewers.

    Supporting the development of best practice with publications on research integrity

    ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× publishes many books and journals devoted to research ethics and integrity, including:

    Publishing ethics for journals

    Find further information on editorial policies and standards for ¹ú²úÂÒÂ× journals on our specific imprint sites.