Job Title:    Research Integrity Adviser

Location:   Beijing, Shanghai or Nanjing, China

About Springer Nature  

Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the world. We publish the largest number of journals and books and are a pioneer in open research. Through our leading brands, trusted for more than 180 years, we provide technology-enabled products, platforms and services that help researchers to uncover new ideas and share their discoveries, health professionals to stay at the forefront of medical science, and educators to advance learning. We are proud to be part of progress, working together with the communities we serve to share knowledge and bring greater understanding to the world. For more information, please visit about.springernature.com and @SpringerNature.   

About the Brand

The goal of the Publishing Performance and Intelligence Group (PP&I) is to help deliver next generation digital publishing at Springer Nature and, as a result, grow the number of published articles, especially in Open Access (OA). Working closely with the Journals Group, Production, Technology, Marketing and Customer Services, we contribute to a wide variety of support work. This includes increasing the number of transfers of articles between journals, the commissioning of new collections and strengthening editor engagement, as well as supporting and enhancing the end-to-end publishing process 

About the Role  

Research integrity and publication ethics are at the heart of everything we do. 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. 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 investigate research integrity cases and provide best-practice action plans 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. In this role you investigate and resolve research integrity concerns in the published record, to ensure that cases are investigated and managed in line with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The cases can range from simple plagiarism and authorship disputes to more complicated data integrity concerns in large cases. You are resilient and can work under pressure: the research integrity cases you are working can be high stakes, with multiple stakeholders involved. Despite the pressure you ensure that you keep assessing risk, work with the relevant colleagues to mitigate these risks and correct the literature where this needed.  

This is a unique opportunity to step into a new role for someone who is keen to step into research integrity and wants to develop themselves further. You will be part of a growing and industry-leading research integrity team. Doing this job at Springer Nature means you can make a difference where it matters.  

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 
• Investigate complex and sensitive research integrity cases using a wide variety of tools to assess concerns raised by internal and external stakeholders 
• Determine, in conjunction with inhouse editors and external Editors-in-Chief whether concerns with the published literature undermine the reliability of the published record and recommend action where appropriate 
• Using a wide suite of inhouse and external investigative tools and detectors to assess and validate research integrity concerns. 
• 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; in writing, in person and via phone/video call, to inhouse editors and external Editor-in-Chiefs 
• Carefully manage and resolve conflict situations between stakeholders on a research integrity cases. 
• Maintain a strong understanding of the evolving publication ethics landscape, identifying new types of issues, and contributing to policy development to address emergent needs, contribute to continuously improving workflows. 
• Ensure that your work and advice complies with relevant Springer Nature policies, COPE guidelines and industry best-practice; 
• With the assistance of the Research Integrity Manager, manage a high volume workload to meet targets, rapidly reprioritising as urgent issues arise; 
• Manage and resolve multiple large scale investigations concurrently together with supporting team members 
• 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; 
• Initiate, manage and contribute to projects in the Research Integrity Group that contribute to the team's objectives 
• Contribute research integrity expertise to the development of research integrity tools 
• Contribute to other tasks and projects related to ensuring compliance with ethical policies/guidelines (e.g. policy and technology development, contributing to research projects, auditing journals). 
• Make recommendations for continuous improvement of workflows and tool to accelerate case resolution.  
• Contribute to the development of research integrity training materials for inhouse staff and externals editors. 
• Provide remote or onsite presentations and workshops on research integrity to inhouse editorial staff 
• Represent SNRIG externally and promote its work, (e.g. writing blog posts, attending industry events and editorial board meetings); 
• Proactively contribute to meetings and commit to completing actions assigned to you; 
• Suggesting and taking part in relevant projects contributing to your personal development and team mission/objectives 

Experience, Skills & Qualifications:

Essential 

• Educated to graduate level 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; 

Desirable 

• A high level of computer literacy including knowledge of and experience with Office applications and Google Workspace 
• Excellent organizational, prioritization, 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, our mission is to be part of progress – and that begins with inclusion: of people, perspectives, and ideas. We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress, and we are committed to creating an environment where people and ideas can flourish. If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation. Find out more about our DEI work here https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion

For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatureCareers/

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