Member Login - Account - Logout

Science and Technology Australia
  • Home
  • About STA
    • Who is STA?
    • Our history
    • Alliances and Partnerships
    • Board and Executive
    • Governance
    • Work for us
    • Reconciliation Action Plan
    • Policy Vision
    • Policy Wins
  • News and Publications
    • Latest news
    • Reports and publications
  • Our Programs
    • Science Meets Parliament
    • Parliamentary Friends of Science
    • Superstars of STEM
    • Science Policy Fellows Alumni
    • Super STEM communicator workshop
    • STEM Ambassadors
  • Events
    • Science Meets Parliament 2023
  • Membership
    • Our Members
    • Why be a member?
    • Member Benefits Program
    • Join STA
    • Member How-to Guides
    • Login to member portal
    • Register for member portal
  • Contact
    • Media
  • Home
  • About STA
    • Who is STA?
    • Our history
    • Alliances and Partnerships
    • Board and Executive
    • Governance
    • Work for us
    • Reconciliation Action Plan
    • Policy Vision
    • Policy Wins
  • News and Publications
    • Latest news
    • Reports and publications
  • Our Programs
    • Science Meets Parliament
    • Parliamentary Friends of Science
    • Superstars of STEM
    • Science Policy Fellows Alumni
    • Super STEM communicator workshop
    • STEM Ambassadors
  • Events
    • Science Meets Parliament 2023
  • Membership
    • Our Members
    • Why be a member?
    • Member Benefits Program
    • Join STA
    • Member How-to Guides
    • Login to member portal
    • Register for member portal
  • Contact
    • Media
20 September 2019

Australia cannot afford to compromise the principles underpinning scientific research

logo

The National Research and Innovation Alliance resolutely takes the view that benefits to the nation and the advancement of knowledge are best served by a culture where researchers can put forward views and present data for discussion and scrutiny free from interference and without fear of reprisal.

As organisations representing researchers across the nation, we commit to the Principle of Universality (freedom and responsibility) of Science (see background note).

In return for scientific freedoms, researchers must ensure they conduct their work responsibly and ethically, respecting regulations and laws. Researchers recognise they have a duty to contribute to the public good by placing societal benefits ahead of personal gain, acknowledging risk and uncertainty, and being accountable for responsible and honest communication of their work.

Principles that guide the scientific enterprise include posing testable and refutable hypotheses; designing studies that test competing counter-hypotheses, using transparent methods that enable other scientists to verify their accuracy, and recognising the importance of independent replication across studies.

Research knowledge forms the basis of innovations and advances that serve the well-being of society, however, it is acknowledged that they can also do harm. Given this, researchers take seriously their obligation to critically reflect upon how their expertise is used, particularly when asked to support decision-making and policy processes.

Peer Review as a foundation for dependable and quality research

An important element that unites scientific inquiry is disclosing findings and subjecting them to scrutiny and critique by peer review. Peer review provides evaluation of work by people who are qualified to judge the matter under consideration and who have current or recent research experience and are therefore exposed in turn to the same form of scrutiny.

Peer review is widely regarded as the scientific seal of approval, denoting quality, validity, and importance. This allows knowledge to be generated, compared, tested and refined over time.

This mechanism helps ensure that the scientific record represents the best available knowledge and it is the responsibility of all researchers to participate in this process.

Researchers will not consider a scientific finding as valid unless it has been approved by the process of peer review. In its absence, researchers consider any findings presented as preliminary and potentially flawed.

Those who disagree with peer-reviewed findings should participate in the scientific process and subject their findings to the same level of scrutiny and review.

Attempts to bypass peer review allow unqualified individuals and organisations to compare their often ad hoc views with findings derived from well-controlled analyses of available data and experimental investigations. This has the potential to subject science to political interference.

Peer review is to the governing of the scientific enterprise what democracy is to the governing of the country. The concept of peer review retains the confidence of the majority of researchers and the Australian research funding agencies, assuring that they support the highest quality research.

The confidence of the research community, and of the taxpayer, that the public investment in the national research base is well managed, can be sustained only if an effective form of peer review holds.

The fundamental principles and processes outlined in this statement have underpinned knowledge generation for centuries and are essential to inform decision making by policy makers as well as by members of the broader community. Any attempt to undermine them erodes decision making in our nation.

20 September 2019

 

Background note

Principle of Universality (freedom and responsibility) of Science:

“The free and responsible practice of science is fundamental to scientific advancement and human and environmental wellbeing. Such practice, in all its aspects, requires freedom of movement, association, expression and communication for scientists, as well as equitable access to data, information, and other resources for research. It requires responsibility at all levels to carry out and communicate scientific work with integrity, respect, fairness, trustworthiness, and transparency, recognising its benefits and possible harms. In advocating the free and responsible practice of science, the International Science Council promotes equitable opportunities for access to science and its benefits, and opposes discrimination based on such factors as ethnic origin, religion, citizenship, language, political or other opinion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age.”

Share
advocacy australia government policy research science technology
Previous StorySeparation of Science and the State
Next StorySTA partners with Ribit

Related Articles

  • 2022 STEM Ambassadors program open
    Step up as a STEM Ambassador
  • climate_change_legislation(2)_220815
    Pass the climate legislation and ‘name and fame’ transition leaders

ABOUT US

Science & Technology Australia (STA) is Australia’s peak body in science and technology. We represent more than 115,000 scientists and technologists. STA is an influential voice for evidence and expertise in public policy.

Recent news

  • STA Welcomes National Reconstruction Fund
  • Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic’s National Press Club address – Science Meets Parliament 2023
  • Win up to $100,000 investment to commercialise your clean agri-food technology

Our members

  • All Members
  • Agricultural and Food Sciences
  • Aquatic Sciences
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Sciences
  • General Science and Technology
  • Geographical and Geological Sciences
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Medical and Cognitive Sciences
  • Physical Sciences
  • Plant and Ecological Sciences
  • Technological Sciences

Search for news

Most popular

  • SMP 2023 scholarships: open now
  • STA backs Voice to Parliament
  • Nine scoop a scholarship to Science Meets Parliament
  • A science future fund to supercharge economic growth: Budget 2023
  • Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic’s National Press Club address – Science Meets Parliament 2023

Sign up to our newsletter

STA PRIVACY POLICY

OTHER STA POLICIES

Twitter feed

  • On behalf of our 139 member organisations and the 115,000 Aus STEM professionals they represent, @ScienceAU made a… https://t.co/B5OASWayOm
  • “The NRF will be a transformative investment in our country’s future economic security powered by home-grown scienc… https://t.co/9IzR6OGRI2
  • The NRF significantly boosts Australia’s pool of investment for next-gen materials development, value-adding and ad… https://t.co/hprPIMjcD3
  • @ScienceAU welcomes Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund. The NRF is a powerful new investment in the country’s… https://t.co/uZIRfMFqO7
Follow us

Science and Technology Australia Limited (ACN 664 679 056 and ABN 71 626 822 845) (STA) is a company limited by guarantee. STA was formerly known as Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies Inc and was authorised under section 82 of the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 (ACT) to transfer its registration under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) to its new company structure on 3 January 2023.

Registered charity logo
Click here for more info
  • HOME
  • News and media releases
  • Become a member
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Science & Technology Australia. All Rights Reserved