24 March 2020

The next generation of diabetes researchers wants to reform global research culture

Publication

At Danish Diabetes Academy's winter school in November, research culture and its challenges were discussed, and innovative solutions were developped. Based on this, 200 researchers from amongst others BMI, have had an article published in ACTA Physiologica.

In November 2019, a number of diabetes researchers, from amongst others BMI, were gathered at Danish Diabetes Academy's yearly winter school, where they discussed five challenges in research culture and came up with innovative solutions. The five challenges were:

  1. How researchers should be evaluated and how we can reward groups instead of individuals?
  2. How do we ensure a fair distribution of research funds?
  3. How can we reduce bias towards positive results?
  4. How can open science become more attractive for researchers?
  5. How can we increase the public's trust in research and avoid misinterpretations when the media communicates research?

The challenges were drawn up by a subgroup of the scientific committee behind the winter school. The group consisted of postdocs Maria Hauge Pedersen, Sara Lind Jepsen, Kaja Plucinska and PhD and senior consultant Gretchen Repasky – all from University of Copenhagen.

Prior to the winter school, the participants had been divided into five groups that each worked with one of the challenges. Each participant interviewed three colleagues – from the level of PhD students to professors – about their attitude towards the given challenge that they had chosen to work with.

Therefore, suggestions for solutions from the groups reflect about 200 researchers input. Three of the challenges including the researchers' solutions of them have been described in an article from Videnskab.dk, where you can read more about the publication and the comments from the researchers (the article is in Danish).

The three topics that are in the article:

  • How researchers should be evaluated and how we can reward groups instead of individuals?
  • How do we ensure a fair distribution of research funds?
  • How can we increase the public's trust in research and avoid misinterpretations when the media communicates research?

You can also read the full suggestion on solutions of the five challenges which were discussed in ACTA Physiologica​