On 21 August, the Seminar on Open Science, Research Integrity and Reproducibility of Research Findings was successfully held at the National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NSLC). The event was jointly organised by NSLC; the Centre for Medical Ethics at the Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Norway; and the Open for Science (OS10) Programme, officially endorsed under UNESCO’s International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD). More than 150 experts and scholars from research institutions, universities, international organisations and academic publishers in China and abroad attended the seminar.
Professor Wei Yang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, lead of the OS10 Programme, and Chair of the CAST-UN Consultative Committee on Open Science and Global Partnership (CCOS), attended the seminar and delivered remarks. He noted that open science, research integrity and research reproducibility are fundamental to the trustworthy production and dissemination of knowledge and form a closely interconnected triangle. An imbalance among the three, he cautioned, could have adverse consequences. Open science without research integrity, for example, could amplify the problem of “paper mills.” He further emphasised that artificial intelligence is reshaping the underlying logic of scientific research. Advancing the sustainable development of science therefore requires collaboration among multiple stakeholders, a holistic approach to science and greater interdisciplinary integration.
Dr. Panagiotis Kavouras of the University of Oslo, one of the principal authors of the Athens Statement, which was issued by the World Conferences on Research Integrity Foundation (WCRIF) in May, delivered a presentation entitled “Open Science, Research Integrity and Research Reproducibility: Commonalities and Complementarities.” He explored the shared foundations and mutually reinforcing relationships among the three areas. Ms. Daoqi Peng, a PhD candidate at NSLC, presented the findings of a questionnaire survey on the Athens Statement conducted among members of the Chinese research community.
Dr. Yanqing Ren, an Associate Research Librarian at NSLC, delivered a presentation entitled “Artificial Intelligence as a Driver of Transformation in Research: Challenges and Safeguards.” She proposed a governance framework combining human oversight, transparent and traceable processes, and AI literacy education. Drawing on her experience in scholarly publishing, Dr. Fanglian He, founder of Bio-Protocol, delivered a presentation entitled “How Publishers Promote Open Science and Research Reproducibility.” She called on the publishing community to promote greater openness in reporting research methods while strengthening the quality control of methodological information.
During the panel discussion, participants from international organisations, German universities, French research institutions, the China Association for Science and Technology, and CNKI exchanged views on the question: “What should we expect from reliable and responsible research, and how can we promote it?” They agreed that building a responsible research ecosystem requires the close integration of open science practices, research integrity and reproducibility requirements, supported by coordinated governance and concerted action across institutions and sectors.
As part of the seminar series organised under the Open for Science (OS10) Programme, the event provided an important platform for international dialogue and collaboration aimed at fostering a more responsible research ecosystem.