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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Evidence-based Knowledge Synthesis and Hypothesis Validation: Navigating Biomedical Knowledge Bases via Explainable AI and Agentic Systems
Published on: June 13, 2025
What might constitute research misuse in knowledge brokering and how might Ofsted's 2021 mathematics 'research
1https://ror.org/013meh722University of Cambridge, UK.
Background:
Knowledge brokering, the process of connecting research with policy and practice, carries significant responsibility for accurate and honest representation of evidence. Despite this, there is currently no agreed-upon definition of research misuse in knowledge-brokering contexts, nor a framework for identifying it. Ofsted's 2021 mathematics 'research review' attracted substantial critique from the mathematics education community, with multiple claims of research misuse, making it a well-documented case through which to explore these issues.
Position:
This article argues that Ofsted (2021) constitutes research misuse in knowledge brokering, enabled by research-washing, defined as presenting evidence-based work as credible or trustworthy without using credible or trustworthy processes to create it.
Arguments:
A novel typology of research misuse in knowledge brokering is proposed, drawing on the author's extensive experience as a knowledge broker and comprising misquotation or mis-citation, necrocitation, transmission, cherry-picking, conflict of interest, misrepresentation, misinference and hubris. This typology is tested against Ofsted (2021) using publicly available community critiques as evidence. Substantial and sustained evidence of multiple elements of the typology is found, supporting a conclusion of research misuse.
Implications:
Identifying research misuse in knowledge-brokering products such as evidence syntheses and research reviews is crucial for holding knowledge brokers accountable. The typology proposed here could be validated against further cases and developed into a practical tool for evaluating knowledge-brokering quality and practice.
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