Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40548083›Full record

ArticleApplied biosafety : journal of the American Biological Safety Association2025

Trust, but Verify: A "Just Culture" Model for Oversight of Potentially High-Risk Life Sciences Research.

Ben C Snyder, Joshua M Wentzel, Gerald L Epstein, Robert P Kadlec, Gerald W Parker

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Applied biosafety : journal of the American Biological Safety Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ben C SnyderBiosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8329-360X
Joshua M WentzelBiosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5608-3232
Gerald L EpsteinMeselson Center, RAND Corporation, Arlington, Virginia, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7286-034X
Robert P KadlecIndependent Researcher, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
Gerald W ParkerBiosecurity and Pandemic Policy Center, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, Washington, DC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: A "just culture" balances accountability for misconduct with transparency, collaboration, and proactive engagement to address the root causes of accidents and compliance issues. Fostering a just culture in the oversight of potentially high-risk life sciences research would allow the U.S. government to improve biosafety and biosecurity while promoting beneficial research. Discussion: The authors explore four proposed elements of a just culture approach to oversight: (1) an enforcement continuum with options ranging from cooperative engagement to legal penalties, (2) non-punitive reporting of safety and security incidents, (3) technical assistance for researchers and institutions subject to oversight, and (4) outreach and two-way information sharing across the life sciences research enterprise. Conclusion: Promoting a just culture would support effective risk management by combining bottom-up scientific responsibility with top-down oversight and accountability. Implementing this approach will be challenging and require extensive stakeholder engagement, but adoption in the aviation industry shows it can succeed.

Indexed as

dual-use research of concernenforcement continuumjust culturenational strategy/policynon-punitive reportingpathogens with pandemic potential

Identifiers

PMID40548083
PMCPMC12179362

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.