JOINResearch Integrity in Water Science | IWA Publishing
By Anh Vu Ha, Research Integrity & Peer Review Manager, IWA Publishing
In the past decade, research integrity and ethical investigations have become increasingly prevalent, as mass retractions and journal breaches continue to sweep through the publishing industry. Water research was no exception. Unfortunately, ethical breaches are not abstract problems, and they erode the trust between publishers and researchers, causing reputational damage to authors and publishers, undermining the trustworthiness of scientific research, spread of misinformation, wasted resources, harm to the society, potential legal issues, and importantly, decreased public trust in science. Like many publishers, at IWA Publishing we detected and were alerted to growing ethical concerns in both our submissions and previous publications. Despite understanding the global integrity trends, as a small publisher, we did not always have the tools to respond effectively. Nevertheless, we are not turning away, and we remain committed to learn, adapt, and face this challenge head on.