Charles Lyons-Burt
A new field of forensics aimed at uncovering unscrupulous actors in research could be used to help discover and prevent cases of foreign influence and interference in defense research.
The field — known as forensic scientometrics, or FoSci — has been proposed by research integrity experts to recognize their investigations into all aspects of research misconduct. These experts include Digital Science’s Vice President of Research Integrity Leslie McIntosh, PhD.
What Does FoSci Help Remedy?
Dr. McIntosh says key threats — such as foreign influence and interference on research, undeclared conflicts of interest, hidden research collaborations and funding sources, fake research and intellectual property theft — are among numerous serious breaches of research integrity and security that FoSci is designed to combat.
“FoSci combines elements of forensic science with scientometrics – the study of measuring and analyzing scientific literature. We use scientific methods and techniques – including technology – to investigate the authenticity of scientific research, and to expose nefarious actors,” Dr. McIntosh says.
The technology referred to includes Dimensions Research Integrity and Dimensions Research Security, both leveraging the power of the Dimensions database of 145+ million publications: the world’s largest collection of linked research data.
“We have the tools and expertise to expose bad actors in science – researchers with hidden collaborations or obscured funding sources that may threaten national sovereignty or intellectual property. Now, we’re spreading the word on what we can achieve,” Dr. McIntosh says.
Raising Awareness for FoSci
This year, Dr. McIntosh has led a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of Forensic Scientometrics, including running international workshops on how to uncover suspicious research behavior, and training sessions at UCLA and in Sydney, Australia. The next international meeting about FoSci will be held in Paris in December.
Dr. McIntosh is also co-author of a report, Transparency and Integrity Risks in China’s Research Ecosystem: A Primer and Call to Action, published recently by the Center for Research Security & Integrity. The report highlights issues of deception by Chinese research institutions, with major implications for Western nations.
“We know that universities and other research institutions across the Western world have been warned repeatedly about the potential for foreign influence and interference, especially where those research interests include defense, cybersecurity, or innovations that represent major economic advantage,” Dr. McIntosh says.
“My global experience shows a rising demand for research integrity and security. Prevention is the best cure, hence we must also arm the defense community with the knowledge to spot threats early, ensuring swift action to protect research and innovation.”
Find out more about Forensic Scientometrics in this post from Dr. McIntosh.
Find out more about Dimensions Research Security – and request a demo today.
