Transparency data

DfT annual statement of compliance with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (2022 to 2023)

Updated 26 September 2024

Overview

The Department for Transport (DfT) is committed to making policies that are based on evidence. We use research to understand the context in which we are working and the challenges we are facing, and how these will change over time. We also use research to understand the likely impacts of our policies and to evaluate their effectiveness.

This statement outlines the levels of compliance of DfT’s research with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (the concordat), the academic standard and national framework for good research and governance for the year ending March 2023.

Consistent with the principles of the concordat, DfT seeks to conduct research that follows the highest standards of rigour and integrity, uses appropriate ethical, legal and professional standards, and is underpinned by a culture of integrity and good governance.

Our approach follows the guidance to implement the concordat of the Government Office for Science (GO-Science).

Governance

DfT’s Research and Development (R&D) programme is overseen by its R&D Board, which is chaired by our Chief Scientific Adviser, Sarah Sharples. Amanda Rowlatt, our Chief Analyst, is the senior manager overseeing research integrity. The Chief Analyst’s Office ([email protected]) provides administrative support and is the lead contact for any queries around research integrity issues.

Processes to support a culture of research integrity

Research integrity in government is underpinned by the Seven Principles of Public Life (the ‘Nolan Principles’) and the Civil Service Code. The codes and guidance for the analysis and science professions also provide support.

Within DfT, further support is provided by bespoke guidance including our Analytical Assurance Framework and guidance on quality assurance of analytical modelling.

For individual research projects, a proforma is used to highlight expected professional standards and capture authorisations. Governance is provided through senior analysts and research managers, the heads of analysis and science professions, the Chief Scientific Adviser, the Chief Analyst and the R&D Board. Annual management assurance exercises are used to monitor compliance with standards.

During 2022 to 2023, we communicated with our analysis and research staff to explain the requirements of compliance with the concordat, based on the guidance of GO-Science. Guidance on this has been provided on our intranet and shared with our arms-length bodies. Annual management assurance exercises are used to monitor compliance with standards.

To strengthen our contractual protection for research integrity, we have introduced new standard research specification clauses that outline our expectations in relation to research integrity, conduct, ethics and output quality.

Open science, research protocols and publications of research

DfT is committed to publishing the research studies it commissions to inform its policies and projects, in accordance with principles of Open Science and the Government Social Research (GSR) Publication Protocol, which has been adopted in the GO-Science guidance to implement the concordat. Research outputs will be published at the final report stage after thorough analytical review of their findings has been completed, including peer review where appropriate. Interim outputs will not be published routinely.

The GSR Publication Protocol’s established guideline for publication is that research outputs should be published within 12 weeks of finalisation. Our compliance with this guideline is stronger for social research and evaluation studies, for which it is a long-established principle, than for other types of research in scope of the concordat, for which this principle has been introduced through the published GO-Science guidance.

DfT research outputs

Social research and evaluation studies are published routinely. We comply with the 12-week guideline in most cases.

Outputs from transport economics, appraisal and modelling research are also published regularly, although this is often later than the 12-week guideline. During 2023 to 2024, we will work to ensure that more of these outputs are published quickly.

Our innovation and R&D programmes (the majority of which cover science and engineering research) are not yet fully compliant with this publication standard, which has not been previously applied to them. During 2023 to 2024, we will implement an expectation that programmes will publish a summary of research plans at their start and a synthesised summary of research outcomes at their end.

We are in the process of developing model publication processes, including identifying which models and outputs are in scope for publication (focusing on substantial models that are of wider industry public interest and enduring application). This will enable an increase in model transparency in the coming years.

In line with other areas of research, we also plan to publish data science research where applicable. Data Science code will be made open, where it is possible to do so. Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance processes are under development and will include guidance on transparency and use.

We note the GSR Publication Protocol’s new guideline (introduced in December 2021) that protocols and analysis plans should usually be developed and published in advance of any study being started. We plan to start publishing protocols for our higher-value research studies, those costing more than £500,000, but not for lower-value studies, on the grounds of proportionality (those studies would still have their outputs published when completed).