Last month marked the official launch of RRCam, celebrated with an inaugural lecture at St John’s College delivered by Dr Ian Hussey, University of Bern. His talk, “Taboo topics we can no longer avoid: negligence, recklessness and fraud,” offered a thought-provoking exploration of the vulnerabilities within today’s research and publication landscape.

During his lecture, Dr Hussey argued that preserving the integrity and credibility of the scientific record requires abandoning the assumption that intentional fraud is very rare and, more importantly, confronting the threats posed by honest error, negligence, and recklessness. Suggestions for innovative, parallel systems of verification were presented, and their requirements and feasibility were discussed.  Challenges in the current peer-review system were examined and discussed the broader role of meta-science and quality assurance in strengthening research integrity.

The talk prompted a lively and engaged discussion among attendees, underscoring a shared commitment to reproducible and trustworthy research. The event drew representatives from Open Research Services, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and other key advocates of open and rigorous research across the University.

A drinks reception followed, providing an excellent opportunity for networking in the beautiful surroundings of St John’s College.