Western Africa Stakeholders Convene to Address Research Integrity Challenges in Academia

On October 17, 2024, academic leaders, researchers, and policymakers gathered for the Regional Research Integrity Workshop in Western Africa, an event dedicated to fostering transparency, credibility, and ethical practices within the research ecosystem. This workshop marked the second in a series under the Africa Research Integrity Project, following a successful launch in Ethiopia earlier this year.

The event, hosted by the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), the Association of African Universities (AAU), Digital Science, The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), aimed at enhancing research ethics and integrity across Western Africa, focusing on strengthening the roles of ethics review boards, advancing scholarly publishing, and establishing FAIR data practices to foster a culture of research integrity.

The event featured key contributions from various speakers who shared their perspectives on maintaining research integrity in academic practices. Emily Chenette, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of PLOS ONE, shared her insights on the key indicators of robust and ethically conducted research. She stressed the importance of transparency in methodology, ethical standards in data handling, and clear reporting of results, noting that well-designed studies with proper controls and peer reviews are essential markers of trustworthy research. 

Joy Owango, Executive Director of TCC Africa, emphasized the importance of research integrity as a critical element of the scientific process, underscoring the need for honesty, transparency, and adherence to ethical norms throughout the research journey. In addition to her address, Joy delivered opening remarks on behalf of Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), reinforcing the commitment to advancing research ethics in academic institutions across the region.

Ivan Oransky, Co-founder of Retraction Watch, addressed the challenges and growing concerns around academic publishing, particularly regarding research misconduct. Oransky emphasized the importance of transparency in the publication process and how it contributes to maintaining the credibility of scientific research.

 Dr. Leslie McIntosh, Ph.D., Founder of Ripeta and Vice President of Dimensions Research Integrity at Digital Science, elaborated on the elements that contribute to building trust in scientific research, including the need for transparent reporting and well-designed experiments. Dr. McIntosh also discussed how data science and biomedical informatics are key to improving the quality and integrity of research practices.

The workshop culminated in a collaborative dialogue on the challenges faced in adopting research integrity practices, with participants sharing actionable strategies to advance ethical standards within their institutions. This allowed the attendees to share practical tools and frameworks that could be implemented in their respective institutions to foster a culture of research integrity across the region.

  Owango, J., Oransky, I., Chenette, E., Abdulai, P. A. J., & Mcintosh, Dr. L. (2024). Regional Research Intergrity Workshop in Western Africa. TCC Africa. https://doi.org/10.21428/359fb1d2.0a26227b

More about the Organizing Partners

About the Association of African Universities

Founded in Rabat, Morocco on November 12, 1967, The Association of African Universities (AAU) is an NGO based in Accra, Ghana. The mission is “to enhance the quality and relevance of higher education in Africa and strengthen its contribution to Africa’s development”. While serving as the “voice of higher education” on the continent. With over 400 member institutions across Africa, AAU provides a forum for cooperation and exchange of information on higher education and research policies, creating spaces for research, reflection, consultation, debates, co-operation and collaboration on issues pertaining to higher education

For more information, visit https://www.aau.org/about/ 

About Digital Science

Digital Science is a technology company that offers research workflow solutions, as well as data and analytical insights, to the research community. Digital Science’s approach is differentiated from others by focusing not only on publications and citations, but also integrating funded grants, datasets, publications, citations, altmetric data, clinical trials, patents, and policy documents to provide more complete views into the research and innovation lifecycle.

For more information, visit  https://www.digital-science.com/

About the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)

Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is a regulatory body for tertiary education in Ghana, formed by the merger of The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB), under the new Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023). GTEC aims to promote quality, relevance, access and accountability in tertiary education institutions. It regulates, accredits and promotes quality and relevance of tertiary education institutions and programs.

For more information, visit https://www.gtec.edu.gh/about-us

About the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana

CARLIGH is the acronym for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana. The Consortium has come a long way since its inception in 2004, when the Ghana interlibrary Lending and Document Delivery Network (GILLDDNET), originally set up under 1996 IFLA/DANIDA project, was dissolved.  From an initial membership of six (6), made up of five (5) public university libraries and one research institute, CARLIGH now has forty-two (42) members made up of eight (8) public and 19 private university libraries, six (6) Technical University libraries, six (6) training institution libraries, two (2) special libraries and one research institution library.For more information, visit https://www.carligh.org/

About the Training Centre in Communication Africa (TCC Africa)

The Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) is the first African-based training center to teach effective communication skills to scientists. TCC Africa is an award-winning Trust, established as a non-profit entity in 2006 and registered in Kenya.  TCC Africa provides capacity support in improving researchers’ output and visibility through training in scholarly and science communication. 

For more information, visit www.tcc-africa.org