Results of national survey on responsible research practice presented at University of Latvia

Signe Mežinska and Ivars Neiders presenting the results of the national survey

On January 21, leading researchers at the Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine, University of Latvia - Signe Mežinska and Ivars Neiders - presented the results of a national survey on responsible research practice ‘’Academic Ethics in Latvia: Results of a Survey of Researchers, Key Challenges, and Potential Solutions’’. The survey, conducted within the BEYOND project, was developed based on good practices from comparable national surveys across the European Union.

Conducted in the summer of 2025, the survey gathered responses from 452 participants and addressed key issues related to responsible research practices, their core principles and how these standards are implemented in practice. The main concerns identified included limited resources - both time and funding - the pressures of a “publish or perish” driven assessment system, and prevailing institutional culture. Plagiarism and questionable authorship practices were cited as the most commonly suspected forms of misconduct. Overall, survey respondents assessed their knowledge about academic integrity as sufficient, while also expressed an interest in further learning regarding the use of artificial intelligence in scientific work, data governance, and authorship practices.

Signe Mežinska

The seminar brought together academic staff from Latvian universities, doctoral students, and representatives from both state and non-governmental organisations. Attendees actively engaged in discussion, reflecting on the findings and sharing perspectives on their practical implications. Key themes emerging from the discussion included the role of academic loyalty, trust in misconduct reporting processes, and the need for stronger governance at the national level.

In the concluding discussion, participants explored possible paths forward. These included both solutions aligned with the BEYOND project’s guidelines and context-specific approaches, such as introducing behavioural nudges to promote responsible research practices, rethinking scientist assessment frameworks, and systematically evaluating the effectiveness of research ethics training.