Magdalena Skipper, Editor in Chief at Nature, shared on LinkedIn:
”Should there be a professional body for all practicing researchers to register with? This question has popped up many time before. Such bodies exist for medics, engineers and lawyers, why not for researchers?
It now appears that South Africa is preparing to introduce just that. According to the news just published in Nature by Sarah Wild, the country is hoping to make it mandatory for researchers in the natural sciences to register with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions, an existing body set up in 2003.
The premise appears to be to professionalise the natural sciences but the penalty for not registering seems harsh – up to a year in prison. The proposal will need to go through the parliament first but very few researchers appear to be aware that it is even on the cards, and the open consultation just closed in May.
On the face of it, a professional body for researchers could be a very good idea. It could help with trust in science and in experts, it could provide a focus for a researcher code of conduct and setting research integrity standards, to name a few. There are of course downsides, including the cost of such a registration.
You read some interesting reactions from the research community in our story.”
Other articles featuring Magdalena Skipper on OncoDaily.