Research Integrity

It is for good reason that integrity is one of the Academy’s three core values. It promotes correct research practices through a wide range of activities:

• For example, the Academy organises meetings about contract research and malpractice complaints. 
• It also publishes advisory reports on such matters as correct citations, replication studies, and dealing with research data. 
• The Academy also promotes and monitors good research practices for the institutes for which it is responsible. 
• Nationally and internationally, the Academy works closely with other organisations to ensure a high standard of integrity in research practice.

Codes of conduct and complaint procedures

Together with the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Academy pioneered the successive codes of conduct developed since the mid-1990s. These led also to the system of confidential counsellors and Research Integrity Committees (CWIs) that are currently in place at Dutch research institutes to deal with suspected violations of integrity. 

Together with UNL and NOW, the Academy also set up the Netherlands Board on Research Integrity (LOWI), which provides for independent review of integrity procedures at affiliated institutions. LOWI's independent secretariat is housed at the Academy. The infographic provides information about the Dutch system for lodging a complaint about research integrity.

The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

The Academy is one of the bodies that drafted the current Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (NGWI 2018). This systematically sets out the principles underpinning research integrity, the standards for good research practices based on those principles, and the appropriate measures in the event of non-compliance. One difference to previous codes is an emphasis on the responsibility of research institutions. Institutions’ duty of care concerns not only the careful handling of integrity complaints but also the prevention of scientific misconduct and the creation of a working environment that fosters honest research practice.

The Code was explicitly designed as a dynamic document that can be updated when scientific and/or societal developments demand it. A review of the current Code will take place in the course of 2023. A committee will assess the extent to which the Code meets the current requirements for such a code on the part of science and society. The committee has also been asked to make specific recommendations for improvement if revision seems necessary. The evaluation is being conducted partly at the request of the Minister of Education, Culture and Science.

Code on Conflicts of Interest

A specific integrity issue addressed by the Academy is conflicts of interest. An increasing amount of research is commissioned by, or takes place in collaboration with, industry, public authorities, and civil society organisations. Science benefits from this, but close collaboration means that researchers at various levels may become entangled with those parties, and researchers may have conflicting interests among themselves.

Together with the Health Council of the Netherlands, the Federation of Medical Specialists, the Royal Dutch Medical Association, and the Dutch College of General Practitioners, the Academy has drawn up a code on dealing with such conflicts of interest. The organisations that have signed it believe that interests should be made clear and verifiable so as to prevent improper influence through conflicts of interest. The interests of experts serving on a scientific project group or advisory committee can be disclosed by means of the declaration of interests attached to the Code. 

Whan providing advice, the Academy always complies with the provisions of the Code. To ensure the reliability and authority of its advisory reports, the Academy requires all members of the advisory committees that it establishes to sign a declaration of interests.

Integrity in an international context

The Academy also strives to promote research integrity internationally. As a member of the All European Academies (ALLEA), it is also the co-author of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. The most recent version has been published in June 2023. 

Various other international organisations to which the Academy is affiliated or with which it collaborates are also committed to promoting correct research practices:

• The forerunner of the International Science Council (ISC) was a co-founder of the series of major conferences on research integrity that have been held since 2007. At these meetings, statements are formulated on, for example, the principles and responsibilities that apply throughout science (Singapore Statement) and the importance of inclusiveness and fairness towards researchers from all countries and population groups (Cape Town Statement). 
• The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) has produced a Guide to Responsible Conduct in the Global Research Enterprise. 
• The Global Science Forum (GSF), part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has produced publications on such matters as Best Practices for Ensuring Scientific Integrity and Preventing Misconduct, and Integrity and security in the global research ecosystem .