Scientific Societies Launch “Trust Seal” to Strengthen Confidence in Science
A group of scholarly societies in the biological and biomedical sciences, organized by BioCore: A Scholarly Publishing Consortium (BioCore), announce the launch of the Trust Seal, a new community-led initiative bringing together organizations across the research ecosystem to strengthen trust in science.
The Trust Seal is intended to provide greater confidence in publications that have adopted community-led best practices for trustworthy science. There is an urgent need for clear trust indicators that are visible to humans and recognizable within emerging AI-driven research and discovery tools. Participating organizations recognize that strengthening trust in science is an ongoing process grounded in continuous improvement and are committed to evolving their own processes. The Trust Seal is designed to complement and strengthen existing efforts by helping align, recognize, and support best practices across scientific publishing.
Darla P. Henderson, PhD, Executive Director and CEO of FASEB shares “The Trust Seal was born where the best ideas always are – from the community. A scientist at a FASEB-organized summit sparked an idea that has since grown through working groups and broad stakeholder engagement into something far larger than any single organization. With Trust Seal, we commit to improving trust in science. Bringing diverse perspectives from a broader community to form consensus is in FASEB's DNA, and we know we are stronger together.”
“Trust in science is not optional; it is the foundation for achieving our missions as societies, how we collectively advance health and well-being. We are honored to lead this work alongside our partners and start the process of engaging broader stakeholders to ensure all voices are at the table,” said Tammy Hanna, PhD, Chief Publications Officer of BioCore. “We invite the wider research community to join us in helping shape and advance this effort.”
Today, the initiative launches with a growing coalition of scientific societies and organizations reflecting a collaborative, community-driven approach to strengthening trust in science. Current Supporting Members include:
.png?width=441&height=114&name=download%20(5).png)
The Trust Seal framework will be developed and overseen by an independent, community-led committee initially composed of representatives from participating scientific societies, with plans to expand over time to include broader stakeholders across the research ecosystem, including researchers, librarians, funders, and research integrity experts. The initiative has also received early endorsement from:
Leaders Voice Support for the Trust Seal
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
"Microbiology and infectious disease research have a direct impact on public health and people's daily lives, making trust, transparency, and scientific rigor essential. As science becomes increasingly collaborative and global, initiatives like the Trust Seal create important opportunities for the scientific community to strengthen research integrity standards and reinforce confidence in published research worldwide."
– Amy Kullas, PhD, Director of Ethics
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
"In a rapidly expanding and globalized research landscape, strengthening trust in published research and scientific journals is key. As EMBO Press, we contribute by championing research integrity, setting standards in pre-publication quality control and integrity screening, as well as by adopting and promoting open science practices. I am confident that the Trust Seal initiative will provide the formal and auditable approach needed to promote integrity standards for more trusted and transparent practices in scientific publishing.”
– Bernd Pulverer, Head, Scientific Publications
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
"At a time when trust in science faces growing challenges, the scientific community must take an active role in shaping the future of trustworthy publishing. The Trust Seal initiative represents a collaborative, society-led effort to strengthen transparency, accountability, and confidence in the research ecosystem."
- President Eric E. Kelley, PhD
Shock Society
“The Shock Society proudly endorses the Trust Seal initiative, recognizing its pivotal role in elevating rigorous publishing standards and fostering confidence within translational and clinical research concerning shock, sepsis, and trauma. This collaborative effort is crucial for expediting credible discoveries that ultimately save lives.”
– President Haichao Wang, PhD
Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (SEBM)
“Scientific societies and society-led journals play a critical role in advancing research integrity because researchers are the ones most directly impacted by the credibility and trustworthiness of published science. For societies, this is about more than publishing—it is about protecting the future of science, reinforcing rigorous and transparent standards, and standing up for scientific fact. The Trust Seal initiative represents an important step toward strengthening confidence in scholarly publishing and the research enterprise as a whole.”
– President Michael Lehman, PhD
Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM)
"As redox biology continues to influence a growing range of biomedical and translational research areas, scientific rigor and reproducibility remain essential to meaningful discovery and innovation. SfRBM is committed to supporting strong research standards, helping ensure that emerging scientific advances can be built upon with confidence by researchers around the world.”
– President Carola Neumann, MD
Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR)
“Reproductive biology and medicine are fields where rigorous and reproducible science is critically important, with discoveries carrying direct implications for fertility, development, pregnancy, and long-term health. The Trust Seal initiative represents an important opportunity for scientific societies and journals to work collaboratively toward strengthening confidence in scientific publishing and supporting trustworthy research practices.”
– President Mellissa Mann, PhD
Wiley
“The societies behind the Trust Seal have spent decades earning the confidence of the scientific community. This initiative builds on that foundation through the kind of cross-sector collaboration that benefits everyone: researchers, publishers, and the public that ultimately depends on science to power progress. Wiley is proud to support this effort.”
– Liz Ferguson, Senior Vice President, Research Publishing, Wiley
As the initiative evolves, participating organizations anticipate the Trust Seal will foster greater confidence in science while encouraging broader community engagement and discussion around trustworthy publishing practices. Preliminary development of the Trust Seal framework and governance model is underway, with a pilot for evaluation anticipated to open in Fall 2026 and the first Trust Seals expected to be awarded in early 2027.
Scientific societies and other stakeholder organizations interested in learning more or participating in the initiative as Supporting Members, subject matter experts, or Endorsing Organizations are encouraged to connect with BioCore and join the growing community working to strengthen confidence in science and support trustworthy research publishing. We invite the broad global community to contact us and join in this effort. Learn more and get in touch at biocore.org/contact-us.