Codes of ethics and research integrity frameworks are designed to promote trust, guide professional conduct, and ensure the quality and credibility of results. They help create confidence among citizens, institutions, and society at large. However, breaches of these frameworks not only occur—they're becoming more frequent, yet harder to identify, in a world marked by complexity, crisis, and the rapid spread of information across diverse and sometimes unreliable channels.

Misconduct can take many forms, and its motivations vary widely. In some cases, ethical lapses arise from ignorance or pressure; in others, from deliberate manipulation or blurred boundaries. Whatever the cause, navigating these situations requires more than just knowledge of the rules. It requires the ability to reflect critically, to connect actions with consequences, and to develop a personal ethical perspective that is both informed and resilient.

In this challenge, you’ll investigate real and hypothetical cases of misconduct, learn from experts in different fields, and begin to build your own framework for ethical reasoning—one that can guide your professional choices in an increasingly uncertain world. You'll work with IRAFPA (Institut de Recherche et d’Action sur la Fraude et le Plagiat Académiques), a French nonprofit organisation, to create a deliverable that will have an impact on young professionals currently working in the field.

But what that deliverable is will be up to you! Guided by your teamcher, you'll design and craft an output that you think will best serve early-career workers regarding their own professional and research ethics at a crucial moment in their fledgling careers. Put your ideas into practice by helping IRAFPA develop clear, compelling messages that resonate with young professionals navigating today's complex world.