Lecture: How Can We Foster Research Integrity and Protect Whistle Blowers?

Monday 25 April , 20:00
Auditorium, Minderbroedersberg 4-6

Prof. Lex Bouter
Professor of Methodology and Integrity, VU Amsterdam

Research integrity concerns the consequences of the behaviour of researchers on the validity of their findings and on the trust in their work among peers and in society at large. This doesn’t mean that the drivers of that behaviour depend solely on individual virtuousness. Increasingly, it has become clear that the research climate in the labs and research groups, plus the – sometimes perverse – incentives within the system of science, strongly influence research integrity. Based on the findings of the National Survey on Research Integrity, ways to foster research integrity will be presented. Special attention will also be paid to the need to protect both whistle blowers and the researchers they accuse of a breach of research integrity, at least until it’s clear whether the allegation was made correctly and in good faith.