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Transparency in conducting and reporting research: A survey of authors, reviewers, and editors across scholarly disciplines

Author

Listed:
  • Mario Malički
  • IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg
  • Lex Bouter
  • Adrian Mulligan
  • Gerben ter Riet

Abstract

Calls have been made for improving transparency in conducting and reporting research, improving work climates, and preventing detrimental research practices. To assess attitudes and practices regarding these topics, we sent a survey to authors, reviewers, and editors. We received 3,659 (4.9%) responses out of 74,749 delivered emails. We found no significant differences between authors’, reviewers’, and editors’ attitudes towards transparency in conducting and reporting research, or towards their perceptions of work climates. Undeserved authorship was perceived by all groups as the most prevalent detrimental research practice, while fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and not citing prior relevant research, were seen as more prevalent by editors than authors or reviewers. Overall, 20% of respondents admitted sacrificing the quality of their publications for quantity, and 14% reported that funders interfered in their study design or reporting. While survey respondents came from 126 different countries, due to the survey’s overall low response rate our results might not necessarily be generalizable. Nevertheless, results indicate that greater involvement of all stakeholders is needed to align actual practices with current recommendations.

Suggested Citation

  • Mario Malički & IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg & Lex Bouter & Adrian Mulligan & Gerben ter Riet, 2023. "Transparency in conducting and reporting research: A survey of authors, reviewers, and editors across scholarly disciplines," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(3), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0270054
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270054
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jennifer Rowley & Frances Johnson & Laura Sbaffi & Will Frass & Elaine Devine, 2017. "Academics' behaviors and attitudes towards open access publishing in scholarly journals," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(5), pages 1201-1211, May.
    2. repec:plo:pmed00:0040296 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:plo:pone00:0198117 is not listed on IDEAS
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