The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a new set of guidelines last week as part of a framework that aims to strengthen policies and practices for scientific integrity across the Federal government and agencies.
The framework identifies key areas of agency focus, and builds on input from cross-agency knowledge, academia, and the scientific community.
“The goal of this Framework is to assist agencies across the Federal Government as they take next steps together to strengthen, implement, and institutionalize scientific integrity policy, practice, and culture,” the framework says.
Among other areas, the framework looks at:
- A consistent definition of scientific integrity for Federal agencies;
- A model scientific integrity policy to guide agencies as they build and update their own policies; and
- A set of tools to help agencies regularly assess and improve their policies and practices.
The framework also requires that all Federal agencies designate a scientific integrity official, and that agencies that foster and fund scientific research designate a Chief Science Officer (CSO).
The framework also keys on measuring progress of agency implementation efforts.
The document’s roadmap for progress “shows the relationship between planned work and intended results and helps ensure clarity and consensus about the main strategies/activities and intended program outcomes through the long-term outcomes/aspirations,” the framework says.
“A roadmap also serves as a foundation for identifying what and how we measure, monitor, and evaluate to show progress toward implementing activities and achieving intended outcomes,” it says.
OSTP said that progress and implementation of the framework will be overseen by the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Subcommittee on Scientific Integrity.
