This collection on Research Integrity in Reproductive Medicine brings together interdisciplinary scholarship examining ethical rigour, transparency, and accountability across reproductive health research. By highlighting best practices and real-world case analyses, the collection aims to strengthen trust in reproductive medicine research and promote standards that safeguard scientific credibility and patient well-being.

Male factor infertility accounts for approximately half of all infertility cases, yet has received comparatively less diagnostic and research investment than female‑factor infertility. Adoption of the World Health Organization’s sixth-edition semen analysis manual is reshaping laboratory standardization, and advances in genomics, epigenetics, and multi‑omic profiling are providing new explanations for previously idiopathic male infertility.

Current research priorities in andrology include the diagnostic value of oxidative stress and sperm DNA fragmentation testing, artificial intelligence‑assisted semen analysis and sperm retrieval prediction in non‑obstructive azoospermia, evolving criteria for varicocele repair, and the effects of environmental exposures, including endocrine‑disrupting chemicals and microplastics, on sperm quality. Sperm epigenetics and its role in mediating paternal‑age and lifestyle effects on offspring health is another area of active research.

The Collection aims to advance understanding of male reproductive biology and its clinical translation, from the molecular mechanisms of spermatogenesis and sperm function to diagnostic and therapeutic innovation in male infertility. It welcomes contributions from basic science, clinical, epidemiological, and technological perspectives, with the goal of improving diagnostic precision and treatment options for male reproductive disorders.

This Collection welcomes original research articles, narrative reviews, systematic reviews and meta‑analyses, clinical and translational studies, methodological and technology‑validation studies (including artificial intelligence and other novel diagnostic tools), and concise brief reports, in keeping with the journal’s scope.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• molecular and cellular mechanisms of spermatogenesis, sperm maturation, and sperm function;
• genetic, epigenetic, and multi‑omic approaches to diagnosing idiopathic and non‑obstructive male infertility;
• sperm DNA fragmentation and oxidative stress: mechanisms, clinical utility, and testing standardization;
• seminal plasma and sperm proteomics and biomarker discovery;
• seminal extracellular vesicles and their role in sperm function;
• semen analysis standardization and quality control, including implementation of the WHO’s sixth edition manual;
• artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in semen analysis, sperm selection, and sperm retrieval prediction;
• diagnosis, genetics, and management of non‑obstructive azoospermia, including surgical sperm retrieval;
• varicocele diagnosis and management;
• environmental, occupational, and lifestyle influences on male fertility;
• paternal age and epigenetic contributions to offspring health; and
• endocrine regulation of testicular function and male reproductive ageing.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well‑being by advancing understanding of male reproductive health.

All submissions in this collection will undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Additionally, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) are handled by the Editor-in-Chief. We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or contact the Editor-in-Chief.