Understanding of researcher behaviour is required to improve data reliability

Background: A lack of data reproducibility (“reproducibility crisis”) has been extensively debated across many academic disciplines.

Main body: Although a reproducibility crisis is widely perceived, conclusive data on the scale of the problem and the underlying reasons are largely lacking. The debate is primarily focused on methodological issues. However, examples such as the use of misidentified cell lines illustrate that the availability of reliable methods does not guarantee good practice. Moreover, research is often characterised by a lack of established methods. Despite the crucial importance of researcher conduct, research and conclusive data on the determinants of researcher behaviour are widely missing.

Conclusion: Meta-research is urgently needed that establishes an understanding of the factors that determine researcher behaviour. This knowledge can then be used to implement and iteratively improve measures, which incentivise researchers to apply the highest standards resulting in high quality data.