A coalition of scholarly societies in the biological and biomedical sciences, organized by BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium (BioCore), has announced the launch of the Trust Seal, a community‑led initiative aimed at strengthening confidence in science.
The Trust Seal is designed to provide assurance that publications adopting community‑driven best practices meet standards for trustworthy science. Organizers highlighted the urgent need for clear trust indicators that are both visible to readers and recognizable within emerging AI‑driven research and discovery tools. Participating organizations emphasized that building trust in science is an ongoing process requiring continuous improvement, and they committed to evolving their practices accordingly. The initiative seeks to complement existing efforts by aligning, recognizing, and supporting best practices across scientific publishing.
Darla P. Henderson, PhD, Executive Director and CEO of FASEB, explained that the Trust Seal originated from a community‑driven idea raised at a FASEB summit. She noted that the concept grew through working groups and broad stakeholder engagement into a larger initiative, and emphasized that FASEB’s commitment to consensus‑building reflects its belief in collective strength.
Tammy Hanna, PhD, Chief Publications Officer of BioCore, stated that trust in science is fundamental to the missions of scholarly societies and to advancing health and well‑being. She indicated that BioCore was honored to lead the effort alongside partners and stressed the importance of engaging diverse stakeholders to ensure broad representation.
The initiative launches with a coalition of scientific societies and organizations, reflecting a collaborative approach to strengthening trust in science. The Trust Seal framework will be overseen by an independent, community‑led committee initially composed of representatives from participating societies, with plans to expand to include researchers, librarians, funders, and research integrity experts. Early endorsements have also been received from leaders across the research ecosystem.
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