Research has no value if it is not made public. Results are shared with colleagues so they can be tested, used to advance knowledge, and put to work. They are shared with the public and policymakers so that they can be used to make decisions about funding and practical application.

 

While researchers might engage in research simply for their own satisfaction, if their work receives public support, they have a responsibility to share that work with others.

 

Chapter 9, Authorship and Publication, covers the responsibilities researchers have when they share results with others through informal communications, oral presentations, scholarly publications, and public statements. Whatever mechanism is used, research results should be shared honestly, efficiently, and without bias. Dishonesty and bias undermine the usefulness of research publications; inefficiency (publishing the same research several times) wastes public funds and the valuable time of reviewers and journal editors.

 

Chapter 10, Peer Review, describes the responsibilities researchers have when they review the work of other researchers. Non-peers—individuals who do not have equal training and knowledge—cannot evaluate the quality and importance of research. Peers can and therefore play a crucial role in many important decisions about the funding, publication, and use of research.