Scientific enquiry and the communication of science are essential to achieving development goals. The demand for evidence-based policy poses a challenge to maintaining the ethical conduct of science. The modern scientist faces intense competition in light of the changing nature of collaborative efforts, the quickening pace and increasing complexity of research endeavours and a growing emphasis on commercialisation of research results. Academic performance criteria continually change, becoming more demanding and increasing complex to measure. The integrity of the scientific community is challenged by cases of falsification, fabrication and plagiarism. The mass production of science outputs, evidenced by the incredible rise of predatory journals, poses risks for the veracity of science. Yet, scientists are not the only ones driven by performance targets. Under the constant scrutiny of governing boards, research and development funders—both public and private—are increasingly pressed to demonstrate outputs, outcomes and impact. There is an urgent need for independent research but also a need for consensus with regard to policy guidance. Consensus studies expect scientists to make sense of the available science and find a way of presenting the controversies, contradictions and convergence of evidence to guide policy decisions. Policy consensus dialogues can valorise science guidance. These practices adopt multidisciplinary approaches, bringing top-rated scientists from a variety of disciplines around the table to contribute best practice examples, share experiences and lessons learnt against the background of solid critique of existing research.

科学探究和科学交流对于实现发展目标至关重要。对循证政策的需求对维持科学的道德行为提出了挑战。鉴于协作努力的性质不断变化、研究工作的步伐加快和复杂性增加以及对研究成果商业化的日益重视，现代科学家面临着激烈的竞争。学业成绩标准不断变化，要求越来越高，衡量起来也越来越复杂。科学界的完整性受到伪造、捏造和剽窃案件的挑战。掠夺性期刊令人难以置信的兴起证明了科学产出的大规模生产，这对科学的真实性构成了风险。然而，科学家并不是唯一受绩效目标驱动的人。在管理委员会的不断审查下，公共和私人的研发资助者越来越被迫展示产出、成果和影响。迫切需要独立研究，但也需要就政策指导达成共识。共识研究期望科学家能够理解现有的科学，并找到一种方法来呈现争议、矛盾和证据的趋同，以指导政策决策。政策共识对话可以赋予科学指导价值。这些实践采用多学科方法，将来自各个学科的顶级科学家召集在一起，提供最佳实践示例，