SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY REPORTING PROJECT

We plan to draw from specific examples we hear about through this project (anonymized unless consent is given in advance) to produce a report to inform policymakers at federal and state agencies, universities, and other research institutions, about how to make science more resilient to future threats.

We will also provide legal information and support to those working in science and science-adjacent fields so that they can enforce their rights and options for standing up for scientific integrity in the workplace. Our attorneys can provide free legal advice and resources, and potential representation, to those who want to consider filing a formal whistleblower complaint or taking other legal action.

A dedicated team of attorneys from the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund and Government Accountability Project will have access to the data provided through the secure portal for purposes of analysis and to respond to any questions or concerns raised by participants. The review team may share deidentified data, or analysis of data, with advisory partners in the course of synthesizing reports about scientific integrity violations for publication and advocacy purposes.

We invite scientists from all disciplines, including the social sciences, to report incidents that threatened scientific integrity or scientific norms. This includes not just incidents that occurred during the prior presidential administration, but those that occurred before or after that may have current implications for scientific integrity.

We also want to hear from science communicators, grant officers, and others in scientific research-adjacent fields. We emphasize that we are soliciting feedback about threats to scientific norms. We cannot address generalized workplace grievances or interpersonal disputes that do not implicate scientific integrity.

We recognize that some scientists and research-adjacent professionals who are aware of threats to scientific norms may not want to have their stories, even in anonymized form, included in reports, educational efforts, or other public-facing products resulting from this project. We will respect those wishes, and encourage contacting us nonetheless. These stories are still valuable for us to hear because they will further our understanding of how scientific integrity is threatened and reveal trends and patterns.

The threats to science we are interested in hearing about may take many different forms. They could include, but are not limited to:

• Inappropriate political interference, or attempts at such interference, even if unsuccessful
• Censorship or suppression, or attempted censorship or suppression, even if unsuccessful, of scientific work or materials
• Prohibition or restriction of scientists publicly discussing their scientific work and findings
• Harassment, intimidation, or other forms of hostile work environment
• The awareness of anti-science attitudes that led to self-censorship
• Severe budget cuts, or proposed budget cuts, to scientific programs or activities
• The disbursement or non-disbursement of grant funding for political reasons
• Altering independent peer review processes to inappropriately support political objectives, special interests, or minority opinions