‘Thou shall not lie and though shall not steal’ (Kees Schuyt, hoogleraar rechtssociologie). That is a simple explanation of Social Integrity by professor in Sociology of Law. A longer definition is: Scientific or academic integrity can be defined as the careful, reliable, verifiable, reproducible, repeatable, objective, impartial and independent conduct of scientific research. (KU Leuven, 2019)
We discuss this topic because more and more cases of fraud in the field of science are coming to light. One of its consequences, the withdrawal of articles after acceptance in journals, is on the rise. Obviously, integrity or lack thereof can adversely affect the work of scientists who can become direct or indirect victims of breaches of scientific integrity.
We discuss the five principles of scientific integrity (KNAW, 2022): Honesty, Carefulness, Transparency, Independence, Responsibility and the many forms of dishonest behaviour.
We discuss the factors in work culture that can promote, or hinder, this scientific integrity. For example, working in a team versus working individually, and teammeetings where problems and mistakes are discussed openly versus a culture where there is fear of repercussions.
We often combine this workshop with the workshop on Social Safety.