Research Integrity Adviser

Job Title: Research Integrity Adviser 

Locations: Heidelberg, Dordrecht or London 

Application Deadline: 16th May  

About Springer Nature Group 
Springer Nature opens the doors to discovery for researchers, educators, clinicians and other professionals. Every day, around the globe, our imprints, books, journals, platforms and technology solutions reach millions of people. For over 180 years our brands and imprints have been a trusted source of knowledge to these communities and today, more than ever, we see it as our responsibility to ensure that fundamental knowledge can be found, verified, understood and used by our communities – enabling them to improve outcomes, make progress, and benefit the generations that follow. Visit http://group.springernature.com/ and follow @SpringerNature / @SpringerNatureGroup 

About the Role 

Springer Nature strives to share outstanding and robust research. With the help of our external academic editors and peer reviewers, we aim to publish high quality research that the research community can rely on. Research integrity and publication ethics are a key topic for everyone involved in the publication of scholarly research. That is why Springer Nature is investing heavily in research integrity. We take a positive and proactive approach to preventing and addressing potential research integrity concerns, both by investing in technology, and by investing in our industry-leading team of research integrity experts. Springer Nature’s Research Integrity Group (RIG) supports all Springer Nature journals, books and databases in preventing and addressing concerns about research integrity and other breaches of publication ethics. We produce training and ‘self-help guides’ for in-house staff and external editorial partners; contribute to editorial policy, system and workflow development; and provide best-practice action plans for complicated cases to ensure that we maintain the integrity of the published record. 

As Research Integrity Adviser, you will be part of the growing Resolutions team in RIG. This team is at the forefront of tackling and managing research integrity cases, primarily in the published literature. In this role you actively investigate research integrity and publication ethics cases across the entire Springer Nature portfolio. Critically important is experience in the academic publishing industry, and scholarly publication processes, systems and tools (e.g. software for detection of plagiarism and image manipulation), and familiarity with publication ethics and research integrity issues. 

As the research integrity expert, you will be working closely with internal colleagues and Editors-in-Chief and advise them on how to best correct the published record. You will use our investigation tools, liaise with editors and authors, work on retracting articles and conduct investigations into cases large and small. You will get involved in sensitive cases that need to be managed carefully together with our colleagues in the comms team. You will also work closely with colleagues in legal to minimize legal risk for our editors. Being successful in this role means you need to be resilient and resourceful 

This role can be in our Heidelberg, Dordrecht or London offices on a hybrid working model. 

Role Responsibilities: 

• Rapidly triage and evaluate research integrity and publication ethics cases from any journal, book or other Springer Nature product, with the ability to assess potential legal and reputational risk for all stakeholders 

• Provide best-practice advice and action plans for resolution of cases to in-house staff and external editors. 

• Understand and express complex ethics concepts and cases in a clear and concise manner whether in writing, in person or via phone/video call, to in-house editors and external Editor-in-Chiefs 

• Maintain a strong understanding of the evolving publication ethics landscape, identifying new types of issues, and contributing to policy development to address emergent needs, continuously improving workflows. 

• Ensure that your work and advice comply with relevant Springer Nature policies, COPE guidelines and industry best-practice; 

• With the assistance of your manager, manage your workload to meet targets, rapidly re-prioritising as urgent issues arise; 

• Project manage individual and large cases with the Research Integrity Support Team and be responsible for driving these towards resolution following Standard Operating Procedures and meeting Key Performance Indicators. 

• Keep case files, project plans and statistics meticulously organized and up-to-date, and contribute to reporting; 

• Represent SNRIG and promote its work, both internally and externally (e.g. writing blog posts, attending industry events and editorial board meetings); 

Experience, Skills & Qualifications: 

• Educated to graduate level (or equivalent) in STEM or HSS; 

• Knowledge/experience of the academic publishing industry, and scholarly publication processes, systems and tools (e.g. software for detection of plagiarism and image manipulation); 

• Familiarity with publication ethics and research integrity issues, and a passion for quality control; 

• Ability to establish effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders of any background, seniority or level of experience; 

• A high level of computer literacy including knowledge of and experience with Office applications and Google Workspace 

• Excellent organisational, prioritisation, analytical and time-management skills, with superior attention to detail; 

• Positive and proactive approach to problem-solving and task management; 

• Strong communication (written and oral) and English language skills; 

• Ability to work well under pressure. 

At Springer Nature, we value the diversity of our teams and work to build an inclusive culture, where people are treated fairly and can bring their differences to work and thrive. We empower our colleagues and value their diverse perspectives as we strive to attract, nurture and develop the very best talent. 
Springer Nature was awarded Diversity Team of the Year at the 2022 British Diversity Awards. Find out more about our DEI work here https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion 
 
If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation. 
 
For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://careers.springernature.com/ 

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