Is My Research <i>A</i> Responsible?

Responsibility in research is usually viewed as consisting of two mutually exclusive categories: responsible research and irresponsible research. Our essay introduces a third category, aresponsible research. This reimagines responsibility in research as a continuum, with responsible research at one end, irresponsible research at the other end, and with aresponsible research overlapping both in the middle. Aresponsible research makes no real difference to anyone but clogs the pages of journals with work that matters little. It seems exemplary because it appears to follow accepted research protocols, thus imitating the norms of responsible research. However, its primary purposes are to advance the careers of the researchers involved and to improve the position of their universities in league tables. Such intentions have much in common with irresponsible research. The concept of aresponsible research will help the research community to fashion research-related policy, protocols, and mindsets that prioritize research as the pursuit of truth by increasing what is known and reducing what is not known, particularly about issues that really matter. Making a difference in this way also requires a greater emphasis on critical thinking. We offer eight recommendations to increase the incidence of responsible research and encourage meaningful engagement with pressing societal issues.