Research Integrity NWO-I Institutes
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Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
Principles, standards and measures
Confidential counsellors research integrity
Scientific integrity desk
Online training research integrity
Tools in the Toolbox Scientific Integrity
Read more
Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
NWO-I believes it is vitally important that scientific research is carried out in an honest, scrupulous, transparent, independent and responsible manner during all research phases. After all, research that lacks integrity can cause damage and harm the trust in science and the trust between scientists or researchers. NWO and NWO-I therefore monitor the quality of the scientific research funded by NWO, and the quality of the scientific research that NWO institutes carry out.
NWO wholeheartedly subscribes to the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. With this code of conduct, the Netherlands keeps pace with international developments in scientific integrity. The code is endorsed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU), NWO, the TO2 federation, the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the Universities of the Netherlands (UVN). These organisations ensure that the NWO Institutes, university medical centres, universities of applied sciences and universities that they represent or that reside under them, subscribe to this code. Other institutions, including private businesses, can subscribe to this code too. For further information, we refer you to the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity 2018.
Principles, standards and measures
The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity defines five principles. These principles can be seen as virtues that motivate a good researcher in various research phases (design, realisation, reporting, assessment and peer review and communication) to make the right choices: honesty, scrupulousness, transparency, independence and responsibility.
In this regard, the institution ensures a work environment in which good research practices are duly facilitated and safeguarded. For example, the institution ensures that researchers can work in a safe, inclusive and open environment, in which they feel responsible and accountable, can share dilemmas and discuss mistakes made without having to be afraid for the consequences (blame-free reporting). The duties of care concern the training and supervision, research culture, data management, publication and dissemination, and ethical standardisation and procedures.
Failure to comply with the standards has a detrimental effect on professional responsibilities. This harms the research process and the relationship between researchers, and possibly the confidence in and credibility of the research too. The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity distinguishes between violations of scientific integrity, questionable behaviour and minor shortcomings. The code describes how an institution must deal with potential violations of scientific integrity. The code gives institutions the room to reach a balanced assessment about potential violations of scientific integrity, but it also explicitly states the weighting criteria that play a role in this assessment.
Confidential counsellors research integrity
NWO-I has two confidential counsellors research integrity: Prof Thom Palstra, Professor of Solid State Chemistry and former rector of the University of Twente, and and, since June 2023, Freya Senf, director of operations for the Environmental Sciences Group at Wageningen University (WUR). They can be reached via vertrouwenspersoonWI@nwo-i.nl.
The confidential counsellors research integrity want to be easily accessible for NWO-I employees who have questions or struggle with a dilemma concerning research integrity that they cannot discuss with their immediate colleagues. The confidential counsellors can listen, advise and, if necessary, guide you. In 2022, Palstra visited the NWO institutes to talk with both management and the employees. By doing this, he made the role of counsellor better known so that employees will be able to approach them more easily should that be necessary. With over 1.700 employees, NWO-I is a large organisation where difficult dilemmas will occur.
Who is Thom Palstra?
As rector of the University of Twente, Palstra was responsible for the setting up and design of the House of Integrity. This not only concerns scientific integrity but also ethics committees, a safe (social) work environment and business integrity. During his work for his previous employer, Bell Laboratories, Palstra learned just how important research integrity is: the entire research system there was built on it. Research integrity therefore plays an important role in how Palstra does research and how he supervises students and PhDs.
Who is Freya Senf?
Senf holds a PhD in molecular microbiology. Before her current position at Wageningen University, she also worked in positions affiliated with science: as program manager at STW (now NWO TTW) and managing director of the Institute for Molecules and Materials at Radboud University. Until her transfer to WUR (at the end of 2021), she was institute manager of NWO-I institute DIFFER.
When should you approach the confidential counsellor?
You can approach one or both confidential counsellors via vertrouwenspersoonWI@nwo-i.nl, if you have concerns about violations of research integrity. They can provide substantive and procedural advice, for example, if it is not clear whether a certain case indeed represents a violation of research integrity and what could be done about this. They can also, where necessary, provide supervision during the formulation of a complaint. You are guaranteed complete confidentiality if you approach the confidential counsellors. Subsequent actions will only take place if the employee who took the initiative provides consent for this to the confidential counsellors.
Thom Palstra and Freya Senf: ‘Consider it your own responsibility to actively deal with research integrity issues but remember to contact us if you cannot work things out!’
What do you do when faced with a question that might be a violation of scientific integrity? In this video, two scientists show how such a dilemma pops up in front of you when you least expect it...what do you do then? Also, Freya Senf and Thom Palstra introduce themselves.
Scientific Integrity Desk
NWO-I has its own Scientific Integrity NWO-I Institutes Complaints Procedure, which applies to complaints about (suspected) violations of scientific integrity by an NWO-I employee.
You can submit complaints about a (suspected) violation of scientific integrity by an NWO-I employee to our Scientific Integrity Desk via meldpuntWI@nwo-i.nl.
Everyone can submit a complaint about a suspected violation of scientific integrity via this service desk to the confidential adviser scientific integrity. If a complaint does not lead to a solution, then it will be submitted to the scientific integrity committee, which will investigate the complaint and issue a recommendation. Based on this recommendation, the NWO-I Foundation Board will establish an initial judgement. This initial judgement can be submitted by the complainant and/or alleged perpetrator to the National Board for Research Integrity (Dutch acronym LOWI).
Online training research integrity
NWO-I wants their trainee researchers to keep aware of research integrity in daily practice. Discussing integrity is essential as it contributes to an open, safe and inclusive research culture in which good scientific practices are ensured. NWO-I therefore offers 4 online modules to combine with the Dilemma Game App. This training is for all NWO-I PhD students and researchers in the first year of their appointment. It is part of the NWO-I training programme for PhD students.
You will find more information about this training here.
Tools in the Toolbox Scientific Integrity
Within NWO-I, we undertake our scientific research with as much integrity as possible with the underlying basis of the Dutch Code of Conduct for Scientific Integrity (2018), co-signed by NWO, with its five principles of honesty, diligence, transparency, independence and responsibility. We consider it of great importance that we broadly teach, know and apply these principles of good and integer scientific practice and the resulting standards for good research practices. Only then will we know exactly what conducting research with integrity means and what that looks like in everyday practice.
Interactive PDF
NWO-I developed a 'toolbox' in the format of an interactive PDF with several ideas and tools that can help to stimulate and support conversations, discussions and meetings around scientific integrity. In addition to existing resources such as the Dilemma Game app and the book On Being a Scientist, the toolbox contains a syllabus and possibilities for on-site deployment of, for example, a theater performance or a guest expert. With the toolbox we hope to help our researchers, support staff, PhD students, management teams, boards and everyone else within NWO-I to (continue to) talk about, learn from and practise conducting research with scientific integrity together. The ultimate goal is to keep the quality and reliability of science high.
Download the Dutch Toolbox Scientific Integrity here.
Read more
On the NWO website, you can read more about how the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity was developed and revised.