Community building for a positive research culture

Research institutions can help foster research integrity and responsible research practices by providing researchers with healthy environments in which to work. Ensuring that researchers work in an environment that is collaborative, positive, inclusive, and enriching is a starting point to enable responsible research practices and research integrity. This guideline offers recommendations that can help research institutions create an environment in which researchers share a sense of community and a positive research culture. The recommendations target several themes of research environments such as inclusivity, support, performance management, and wellbeing. The guideline provides information relevant for research officers, trainers, managers, and coordinators, as well as deans, rectors and other institutional leaders. Given the broad diversity that exists among research institutions, it is possible that some recommendations are not applicable in all research settings. For this reason, the guideline should not be seen as a ‘one-size-fits-all’, but rather as a tool that can be used flexibly and adapted to meet institutions’ specific needs.