Who we are, and where we are going

The idea of establishing the African Research Integrity Network (ARIN) was conceived during the 4th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) that took place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 2015 (https://wcrif.org/wcri2015). At the conference, there were only a few delegates from Africa. It appeared to them as if the rest of the world was making important strides towards promoting responsible conduct of research, while Africa was still lagging behind. Not only was published data about research integrity and responses to research misconduct in Africa missing but African perspectives were grossly underrepresented in the international debates shaping the responsible conduct of research. The group concluded that such debate is incomplete if there is no "voice" from or on behalf of African researchers, research leaders and research communities.

 

While still attending the 4th WCRI, delegates from Africa met informally to discuss what could be done to address the apparent gap. Members of this group consisted of individuals based in Africa including Francis Kombe from Kenya, Limbanazo Matandika from Malawi and Drs. Lyn Horn, Robert McLaughlin, and professor Laetus Lategan from South Africa, as well as international friends such as Dr Zoë Hammatt, who was a member of the advisory committee of the world conference. Several members of this interest group continued their conversation through e-mail communication and by the end of 2016, agreed in principle on the need to establish an African Research Integrity Network (ARIN), as the main vehicle for promoting research integrity in Africa. The e-mail communication group was expanded when members of the initial group invited other professionals and scholars interested in promoting research integrity, to join them.

 

A major breakthrough was made when ARIN members could contribute to a day-long workshop, Research Integrity in Africa, which was held in May 2017. With financial support from the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and University of Pretoria, this was hosted as a per-conference workshop at the annual conference of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) that was held in Windhoek, Namibia. At the workshop, concepts related to responsible conduct of research and research misconduct were introduced, with opportunities for discussion of practical experience. Information could be shared with a broader audience from various African countries, and ARIN membership grew.

 

A second opportunity to share the work and ideals of ARIN took place in December 2017, when one of the founding members of ARIN, Francis Kombe, participated in a well-attended panel discussion on “Research Integrity: A matter of global and African concern” at the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA), hosted by the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) in Pretoria. At this event, more people indicated interest in joining ARIN, and our membership list grew again.

 

In December 2017, an interim steering committee consisting of Francis Kombe (Kenya), Limbanazo Matandika (Malawi) and Dr Christa van Zyl (South Africa) started to work on more detailed plans to formalise a structure for ARIN, while still actively pursuing opportunities to expand and strengthen the network, and to bring members of the network together by virtue of meetings, events and other communication platforms. The ARIN membership list currently (as at end July 2018) contains 46 names of individuals associated with academic and research institutions in nine different African countries.

 

Our goals are to

1. Develop a better understanding of, and sensitizing people about the local environment and conditions that affect research integrity in Africa;

2. Promote research integrity by increasing awareness and improving access to information and resources;

3. Create and nurturing leadership in the responsible conduct of research in Africa; and,

4. Enhance dialogue, engagement and networking among policymakers, stakeholders and practitioners of research integrity in Africa.    

 

Organic growth has been deemed essential to ARIN, with roots firmly in Africa, with strong external support, mentorship and collaboration.

 

Through ARIN, we hope to be able to create awareness amongst all sectors and stakeholders of the research enterprise in Africa, about the importance of research integrity and more so, responsible conduct of research. African researchers often have to “make do” with limited resources or to play supporting roles in research projects that are initiated or funded by non-Africans. We strive to perform well by the best international standards, cognisant of contextual and cultural factors that must be accounted for when we do our research. Remarkable contributions and insights from local researchers are not always recognised or even fully understood. This means that members of ARIN should strive to undertake research and to publish about research integrity in Africa. Although much will initially depend on individual efforts, we hope to build on initial successes by creating platforms for communication, training and sharing of resources. Much can be achieved through virtual platforms established with the help of electronic media, but face-to-face meetings will also be conducive to strengthening collaboration and shared learning.

 

Through support from policymakers and governments, we hope to mobilize resources to mainstream research integrity and promote the development of Institutional structures and systems that create an enabling environment for the responsible conduct of research.

 

Ultimately, we hope to make available information and resources that can facilitate the creation of awareness about research integrity and foster collaboration with existing institutions to help nurture best practice and recognise shared values that underpin responsible conduct of research.

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Membership criteria:

We welcome applications from persons working in an academic and research environment, who have a strong interest in research integrity and the effective promotion thereof.

In due course, as we continue with our networking and information-sharing work, we hope to identify special interest or support groups within the network. It is anticipated that such interest groups or portfolios will be represented in the future leadership structure of the network