Verification and scientific responsibility for our content

Confer is forum within the professional community at which colleagues who have achieved recognition for their clinical, theoretical or research work are provided with a platform to present that work. Although we have the greatest confidence in the integrity of those we invite to speak, our academic programmers are aware of the potential for presenters to represent their own thinking or theoretical work as scientifically factual. At the same time we offer a space for cutting-edge thinking, which is likely to precede scientific research in that area of study. A balance is sought that allows new ideas to be expressed in Confer forums on the basis that these are not presented as scientifically-based when that is not the case.

We are currently exploring what system is most likely to protect our participants from exposure to potential inaccuracies, and what would be most supportive to our speakers in their endeavour to be accurate. There are a range of approaches to this question, and as part of this exploration we are looking at the types of peer review, and the role of research.

Our own publications, in the form of Confer Online Module Fact Sheets, are restricted to content that is founded on verified empirical scientific research or peer reviewed qualitative research.