Editorial: Results of Scientific Integrity Task Force report

In this Editorial, Alondra Nelson and Jane Lubchenco – co-chairs of the Scientific Integrity Task Force that President Biden created early in his administration – discuss the first-ever comprehensive assessment of scientific integrity policy and practices in the U.S. government, as produced by the Task Force. It reveals that although Federal agency science is generally sound, there have been issues with scientific integrity that undermine both public trust in science and the morale and incentive of scientists to innovate. The Task Force identified best practices that continually reinforce a culture of integrity. Nelson and Lubchenco, in this Editorial, also propose several additional principles to strengthen scientific integrity across government agencies. They highlight their commitment to work with colleagues to implement the best practices identified by the Task Force and to make the additional principles they outline in this Editorial operational.