Overview

The scientific community has become increasingly aware of problems relating to the integrity of the research in submitted and published papers. Scientific errors and incorrect interpretations inevitably occur in the published literature, but authors who knowingly commit fraud or other research misconduct seriously compromise the integrity of the scientific record and the success of future scientific research.

Research misconduct occupies space at the most severe end of the ethics spectrum that impacts the scientific community. Amid increasing concerns about lack of reproducibility in published research, ASM is committed to minimizing the impact of ethical transgressions on the scientific record by promoting best practices, seeking out potential problems prior to publication, correcting errors detected after publication, and complying with institutional and governmental investigations and regulations.