Flawed or faked research studies are fuelling a public mistrust in biomedical science (see, for example, Nature 619, 454–458; 2023). Public trust in research is essential for scientific progress because it correlates with funding and policy decisions, research participation and an openness to evolving evidence. I propose that independent ethics review boards could help to combat this mistrust by ensuring that biomedical studies offer scientifically valid findings of societal value.