27 Accepted in Part

Publish peer review comments to improve transparency and deter paper mills.

Recommendation
Peer review should not be viewed as a binary measure of quality versus unreliability for published papers. There is a wide range of competency, depth, and rigour in the analyses carried out during peer review as time-poor academics often do not have time to conduct detailed scrutiny. Where possible, journals should seek to publish peer review comments to improve transparency in the research publication process and to deter paper mills.
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation by welcoming the support for increasing the use of registered reports to enhance reproducibility, but notes that further evaluation of the costs and benefits of registered report partnership models is needed.
Paragraph Reference
142
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government Accepted in Part
We partially accept this recommendation. 65. Government welcomes the support from the Committee for increasing the use of registered reports to enhance reproducibility through giving greater transparency to research methodologies. Further evaluation of the costs and benefits of registered report partnership models is needed. As a concept they appear to offer a way of increasing the number of research projects that are published through the registered report process. 66. In the right circumstances, registered reports are a useful model for increasing transparency, improving methodology and ensuring publication of null or negative results. The results of current trials of this model, such as the Cancer Research UK pilot, will be instrumental for determining whether, and under what circumstance they are effective. UKRI will continue to facilitate and contribute to addressing challenges in this area, including contributing to dialogue on the benefits and risks for a registered report partnership model for appropriate disciplines.
Addressee Bodies
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Timeline
Recommendation age 3.1 yrs
Report published 10 May 2023