The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) has approved the formation of a Working Group to develop a recommended practice for identifying trust markers in scholarly content. The initiative aims to provide readers with clear definitions and a framework for understanding signals of credibility in published research. NISO is inviting members from across the information community to participate in the Trust Markers Working Group.
Concerns about ethics and integrity in submitted manuscripts have grown, with retractions increasing rapidly. These issues stem from both intentional misconduct and unintentional poor research practices. While reputable journals conduct checks to identify such problems before peer review and publication, the scope of these checks varies widely and is rarely disclosed publicly. Preprint servers typically perform fewer checks, leaving readers—particularly those outside specialized disciplines or unfamiliar with scholarly publishing processes—uncertain about how to assess credibility.
The rise in fraudulent submissions, combined with funder demands for greater research impact and broader societal mistrust of scientific information, underscores the need for clarity on how much trust can be placed in scholarly content.
NISO is seeking participation from experts in research integrity, publishing, science communication, metadata registries, identifiers, and academic libraries. The organization emphasized that the initiative is intended to strengthen transparency and provide users with clearer markers of trustworthy research.
Click here to read the original press release.
