Principles are fundamental to maintaining integrity in research and should guide not only individual researchers but also all parties involved in the research process, including institutions, publishers, scientific editors, funding bodies, and scholarly societies. Each of these entities plays a role in fostering and upholding responsible research practices.
The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity is based on five widely supported principles:
- Honesty involves accurately reporting the research process, considering alternative viewpoints and counterarguments, acknowledging uncertainties, and avoiding unfounded claims. It requires refraining from fabricating or falsifying data, misrepresenting results, or presenting findings in a misleading manner.
- Scrupulousness or conscientiousness, means employing rigorous scientific or scholarly methods and exercising utmost care in designing, conducting, reporting, and disseminating research. This principle emphasizes the importance of thorough and meticulous research practices.
- Transparency entails clearly documenting and communicating the basis of the research, including data sources, methodologies, results, and the role of external stakeholders. Researchers should provide justifications for any data or research components that are not publicly accessible. It is crucial that the research process is transparent to peers, ensuring that the reasoning and steps are clear and verifiable.
- Independence means ensuring that research methods, data assessments, and evaluations are guided solely by scientific or scholarly considerations, free from external pressures such as commercial or political influences. This principle also encompasses impartiality in the research process, though it does not necessarily extend to the selection of research topics and questions.
- Responsibility involves recognizing that researchers operate within a broader context and considering the legitimate interests of human and animal subjects, as well as those of commissioning parties, funding bodies, and the environment. It also means conducting research that is both scientifically and societally relevant, ensuring that research impacts are responsibly managed.
