Recommendations for empowering early career researchers to improve research culture and practice

Early career researchers (ECRs) are important stakeholders leading efforts to catalyze systemic change in research culture and practice. Here, we summarize the outputs from a virtual unconventional conference (unconference), which brought together 54 invited experts from 20 countries with extensive experience in ECR initiatives designed to improve the culture and practice of science. Together, we drafted 2 sets of recommendations for (1) ECRs directly involved in initiatives or activities to change research culture and practice; and (2) stakeholders who wish to support ECRs in these efforts. Importantly, these points apply to ECRs working to promote change on a systemic level, not only those improving aspects of their own work. In both sets of recommendations, we underline the importance of incentivizing and providing time and resources for systems-level science improvement activities, including ECRs in organizational decision-making processes, and working to dismantle structural barriers to participation for marginalized groups. We further highlight obstacles that ECRs face when working to promote reform, as well as proposed solutions and examples of current best practices. The abstract and recommendations for stakeholders are available in Dutch, German, Greek (abstract only), Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Serbian. Instituto de Patología Vegetal Fil: Kent, Brianne A. Simon Fraser University. Department of Psychology; Canadá Fil: Holman, Constance. Universitätsmedizin Berlin. BIH QUEST Center for Responsible Research. Berlin Institute of Health at Charité; Alemania Fil: Amoako, Emmanuella. Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. Department of Paediatrics and Child Health; Ghana Fil: Amoako, Emmanuella. University of Cape Coast. School of Medicine. Department of Paediatrics and Child Health; Ghana Fil: Antonietti, Alberto. Politecnico di Milano. Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering; Italia Fil: Azam, James M. Stellenbosch University. DSI-NRF Center of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis. Department of Mathematics; Sudáfrica Fil: Ballhausen, Hanne. Universitätsmedizin Berlin. BIH QUEST Center for Responsible Research. Berlin Institute of Health at Charité; Alemania Fil: Fil: Ballhausen, Hanne. Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Charité; Alemania Fil: Bediako, Yaw . University of Ghana. West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens; Ghana Fil: Belasen, Anat M. Cornell University. Society for Conservation Biology. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Estados Unidos Fil: Carneiro, Clarissa F. D. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis; Brasil Fil: Chung Chen, Yen. New York University. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos Fil: Debat, Humberto Julio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Debat, Humberto Julio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola (UFyMA); Argentina Fil: Weissgerber, Tracey L. Universitätsmedizin Berlin. BIH QUEST Center for Responsible Research. Berlin Institute of Health at Charité; Alemania