Transparency data

Department for Culture, Media & Sport Annual Statement of Compliance with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, 2024-25.

Published 25 September 2025

Introductory statement and summary of actions

In order to better understand the diverse and multi-capital impact of culture, arts, media, sport, tourism, and civil society, and to ensure government policy and delivery are supported by the best available evidence, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) undertakes, commissions and uses a variety of research that primarily falls within social sciences and humanities disciplines, including economics, social research and statistics. This is complemented by an emerging data science and data analysis function. To ensure that this research forms a reliable evidence base for well-informed policy development, DCMS is committed to research integrity across all its work.

Research integrity is an area of continuous improvement in DCMS that is a function of (a) government-wide codes of conduct and professional standards, such as the standards for the analytical professions; (b) new DCMS-specific investment, such as investment into new scalable data infrastructure and capability; and (c) renewal of existing research-supporting mechanisms, such as the embedding of policy fellows in the Department or the updating of our Areas of Research Interest (ARIs).

1. Governance

Professor Tom Crick (Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of Profession for Science & Engineering) and Urvashi Parashar (Director of Analysis and Chief Economist) are the named senior members of staff with oversight of research integrity in DCMS.

In addition, the DCMS Heads of Professions for Economics, Social Research, Statistics, Operational Research, Data Science, and the Deputy Directors of Analysis, foster and support research integrity across the Department and its activities.

2. Processes to support culture of research integrity

In the first instance, infrastructure that supports a culture of research integrity in DCMS are rooted in cross-government guidance and processes, including the Aqua Book (guidance on producing quality analysis), Green Book (policy appraisal guidance), and the Magenta Book (evaluation guidance), the Civil Service Code, and the protocols and standards developed by the various government professions. Collectively, the books set standards for research processes, promote ethical considerations, provide frameworks for evaluation and appraisal, and encourage replicability and transparency. For example, replicability/repeatability (Aqua Book principle) is emphasised during the commissioning of research to ensure it meets basic scientific standards of rigour.

During the reporting period, DCMS has:

• Invested in its data science and analytics capacity, including AI Learning & Development. As a result of this, the Department has a growing capability to receive, store, and interrogate for future use multimodal data and large-scale datasets; to deploy AI responsibly and effectively in select cases to assist with research and analysis, and to critically assess the emerging deployment of AI tools and technologies; and to engage across the breadth of DCMS policy areas consistently and accurately.
• Refreshed the DCMS College of Experts. This open process has reappointed 32 existing members of the College and appointed 26 new experts as part of the Department’s standing independent interdisciplinary research capability.
• Continued to improve DCMS processes for research budget allocation and prioritisation, commissioning, and delivering research. The most significant achievement has been the mapping and continuous monitoring of existing evidence development and emerging evidence needs, which minimises duplication, helps to ensure alignment with Departmental priorities and the UK Government’s Missions, and provides a useful tool for determining the effective allocation of research investment. Other additions include the creation of repeatable processes, infrastructure and APIs that interface with our data in ways that can be standardised and controlled for greater accountability and the integration of refreshed processes into research commissioning and delivery; for example, research data management (RDM) considerations are included in a new contract management system.
• Started to refresh the DCMS Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy. Our current Strategy focused on ensuring evidence produced from monitoring and evaluation activity is (i) timely, proportionate and needs driven; (ii) used in decision making; and (iii) firmly embedded across the organisation. We have engaged with stakeholders across the Department on the direction of our refreshed Strategy, which we aim to publish in 2025.
• Embedded academic fellows into policy and analysis areas. Embracing national schemes such as UKRI Policy Fellowships and British Academy Innovation Fellowships, this has allowed us to embed diverse interdisciplinary research expertise across the Department, increasing our overall confidence and capability in interacting with research and evidence.

In addition to this, DCMS has an explicit ambition of sharing research findings and best practice, in line with ongoing initiatives to enhance evidence transparency across government. For example, during the reporting period, the Evaluation Analysis Team has carried out a series of training and drop-in sessions on how to carry out evaluations, which in turn help to inform better research design and commissioning.

Several areas of activity are currently under way to refresh or improve DCMS research processes, including an update to our ARIs (published in March 2023); annual research priority mapping; an expansion of the R&D Science and Analysis Programme to enhance our foresight and horizon-scanning capability, as well as delivering more robust contract management support and research engagement; and a refresh of the DCMS Science and Evidence System, including publication of a new DCMS Science Plan, to better reflect the Department’s increasing maturity in this space, and supporting our medium-term research, development and innovation ambitions.

3. Guidance for researchers, employers and commissioners of research

The primary guidance for all research is delivered through the analytical professions, particularly:

• Government Economic Service – economic principles, methodologies for economic analysis, cost-benefit analysis, assessing the economic impact of policies, etc.
• Government Social Research – best practices in conducting surveys, qualitative research methods, ethical considerations in social research, ensuring research inclusivity and diversity, etc.
• The Government Statistical Service – statistical standards, data collection and analysis techniques, ensuring data quality, appropriate use of statistical methods, etc.
• Government Operational Research Service - ensuring appropriate application of operational research tools and techniques, understanding data limitations, data governance and quality assurance of modelling and analysis, etc.

Each of the above professions in DCMS has a Head of Profession, who can be approached for bespoke guidance and support. In addition, the DCMS Government Digital and Data team and the Data Science team support with data governance, data security, data ethics, data analysis tools, ensuring data accessibility and usability, etc, in line with the DCMS Knowledge and Information Management policy.

This guidance docks into wider practices and guidance, which include legal, commercial, and financial support. For instance, during the reporting period, research commissioning now takes place within the context of the Procurement Act 2023, which improves transparency, formality, and accountability for Government procurement. New guidance around research engagement and transparency has been disseminated across DCMS in line with the legislation.

These centralised guidelines are complemented by local guidelines and best practices. The Chief Scientific Adviser’s office is the first port of call for any interface between DCMS, academia, and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI). This includes templates, process guidance, and advice for working with academic research; for example, routes for building relationships with UKRI and UKRI-funded researchers, as well as key UK research institutes and organisations relating to DCMS sectors. The CSA office also works with the Government Office for Science to collect data on DCMS R&D and share and disseminate innovations and best practice across the CSA Network.

4. Training and awareness raising

DCMS has a robust Learning & Development (L&D) offer for its researchers. The Professions structure incorporates continuous professional development; for example, the Government Operational Research Service has a requirement that members complete 100 hours per year of L&D, which is a mix of technical and non-technical learning. In addition to the Government-wide L&D and badging routes managed through the Professions structure, DCMS has a dedicated Head of Analytical Capability Community to manage bespoke and ad hoc L&D for the Department’s analysts and coordinate best practice across the analytical community. Other teams include Business Managers that manage and promote L&D offers.

Less experienced and early-career colleagues are typically placed in teams to ensure they gain experience of designing, commissioning, and/or carrying out research under supervision before they do so independently. These take the form of both formal and informal mentorship arrangements.

These offers are disseminated via cross-Civil Service, central DCMS, and local team channels. Less formally, colleagues are often invited to stress test and quality assure each other’s research, which facilitates upskilling and knowledge sharing.

On evaluation, we have delivered rounds of the Evaluation Task Force’s Evaluation Academy. This programme of training aims to upskill staff in evaluation methods and practice. In 2024, we delivered this training to analysts and policy colleagues across DCMS. We have also supported staff development in other ways, such as bespoke training on the Value for Investment approach, our Evaluation Community six-weekly meetings to share and discuss methods and approaches, and our Evaluation Methods Seminar Series where external experts discuss applications of methods to policy.

5. External engagement

DCMS has a variety of avenues for external engagement to share research information and best practice:

• The DCMS Chief Scientific Adviser engages widely across the UK R&D landscape, including the CSA Network and other Government departments, arm’s length bodies (ALBs), national academies, professional bodies, learned societies, higher education sector institutions, industry researchers, third sector bodies, and others. This includes attendance at recurring fora and events that share research information to achieve greater transparency and join-up. The CSA is also a member of the Government Science and Engineering Profession Strategic Board.
• Other senior members of the Department, including the Director of Analysis, represent the Department in the Analysis Function, governance of the professions such as the Government Economic Service Boards, active engagement with the Evaluation Taskforce, forums organised by government on appraisal and evaluation. The Director of Analysis chairs the cross-government Wellbeing Analysis Board, which actively seeks engagement with external stakeholders.
• Where relevant, DCMS is engaged with its ALBs on research through formal sponsorship channels.
• DCMS is engaged with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through a quarterly Directors’ meeting (chaired by the CSA), which is the primary route for DCMS/AHRC collaboration. It includes discussion of any research integrity issues and emerging best practice.
• DCMS co-funds the Culture and Heritage Capital research programme with the AHRC. DCMS also engages with the AHRC, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the R&D Science and Analysis Programme, including co-funding certain projects with the AHRC and EPSRC.
• Most research contracts include end-of-contract wash-up sessions to discuss lessons learned and translate these into future research collaboration. Lessons from existing research projects are also collected at a more general level to understand overarching and recurring issues or proven good practice.
• Most research contracts involve dissemination sessions that are open to stakeholders outside DCMS. For example, in the reporting period, the Culture and Heritage Capital programme co-delivered with HM Treasury a session on culture and heritage valuation that was widely attended by colleagues outside DCMS.
• As part of DCMS’ Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, we have launched an Evaluation Seminar Series. This is a methods-focused series, where we invite evaluation experts and academics from across our sectors to present on their application of evaluation methods in policy. The series enables the building of relationships between DCMS and external evaluators, whilst upskilling DCMS analysts.
• High priority evaluations also require an advisory and/or steering group to be created for the purpose of shaping the evaluation design, which typically include external evaluation experts.
• DCMS teams engage with the Evaluation Task Force’s Evaluation and Trial Advice Panel (ETAP) on monitoring and evaluation activities. This is a panel of expert evaluators from academia, government, research organisations, and other areas who provide expert advice on evaluation methodologies and approaches.
• DCMS is also exploring new opportunities to work with ALBs on their monitoring and evaluation activities to share best practice.

6. Open Science and research protocols

With the exception of research that is sensitive for policy, security, or commercial reasons, DCMS is committed to publishing all research findings that it has carried out directly or commissioned from other researchers (in line with ongoing initiatives to enhance evidence transparency across government), and encourages research partners to do the same.

Commercial contracts reflect this commitment. For example, subject to security or licensing restrictions, all the contracts used for the R&D Science and Analysis Programme explicitly allow research partners to reuse data collected and analysis conducted in other research.

Research projects that are commissioned directly by DCMS are published on the Government Contracts Finder. Research projects that involve any element of personal or sensitive data in the analysis are backed by the publication of a privacy notice, which explains the purpose of the project and data use. More generally, the DCMS Data Protection Office actively supports any data protection queries or issues relating to research. Research projects that are carried out in partnership with UKRI are published on UKRI’s Gateway to Research.

Research protocols and analysis plans are not currently published by DCMS in advance of research studies starting, but are typically included in research reports as part of the requirement for replicability.

7. Publication of research

The publication of all DCMS research, whether carried out in-house or commissioned externally, is governed by the Government Social Research: Publication protocol.

DCMS is developing additional internal publication guidance to improve compliance with the publication protocol and, more generally, to improve the accessibility of research findings within publications.

DCMS is committed to uploading evaluation plans and publications to the Evaluation Task Force’s Evaluation Registry. The Registry is the home for all Government planned, live, and published evaluations. Evaluations on the Registry can be browsed publicly.

8. Research misconduct

There have been no formal investigations of research misconduct in the reporting period. The process for reporting research misconduct follows standard departmental procedures, e.g. reporting research misconduct through the relevant Head of Profession. This would follow the UKRIO Procedure for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research, as well wider principles outlined in associated national and international research guidelines, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.