Recommended Checklist for Research Communities in a Pandemic

Today UKRIO publishes its Recommended Checklist for Research Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic. This new guidance is aimed at individuals and organisations performing research of any kind during a pandemic – helping them anticipate issues that may affect the quality and ethical standards of their research and think about how they might be addressed. The Checklist is applicable to all research disciplines, including but not limited to research on COVID-19 and related topics.

The ongoing pandemic has had considerable effects on how research is designed, funded, conducted, managed, monitored and disseminated. These effects will be long-lasting and dependent on the level of infection control measures, and the need to consider how these effects will impact on the integrity of research will remain for many months. The Checklist highlights key issues for consideration when planning research, when carrying out research, and when disseminating its findings.

The Checklist does not state the ‘right’ way to undertake COVID-19 research or research during a pandemic situation. Its aim is to help researchers and others think about what challenges and problems might affect the integrity of their research and consider how to address them. While the Checklist is primarily aimed at researchers, it may also be of interest to managers, administrators, funders, reviewers, editors, research participants and the general public.

Recommended Checklist for Research Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic