Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 4:30 – 6:00 pm Central Time
Introduction: The scientific community is making a conscious shift towards transparency in science to improve trust in scientific findings. As an organization (IAFNS) that funds food and nutrition research for the benefit of public health, it is critical to adopt a strategic approach to ensure transparency and integrity in the work that is funded.
Approach: To increase the transparency and rigor of funded science, the integration of open science practices, such as pre-registration of projects and open access publishing are key. Additionally, implementation of funding guidelines to safeguard the integrity of the research record plays a vital role in shifting towards increased transparency.
Furthermore, fostering collaborations that can support new opportunities for diverse participation decreases barriers to access and participate in food and nutrition science. This includes prioritizing students from underrepresented backgrounds for participation in research fellowships and proactively reaching out to Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in Request for Proposal process.
Results: These practices have led to greater viewership of funded projects on a publicly accessible database, diversified authorship in peer-reviewed publications and increased participation in institution-hosted events. In 2023, IAFNS funded work resulted in peer-reviewed publications involving 91 authors from 49 affiliations and hosted events (webinar and in-person) featuring 148 presenters from 108 organizations.
Discussion: The cumulative efforts to increase the transparency and accessibility of food and nutrition science gives the public greater visibility and trust in the scientific findings. By offering opportunities for diverse participation, we enhance diverse ideas to tackle key challenges in food and nutrition science.
See the session details here.
Supported by: The IAFNS Assembly on Scientific Integrity.
