Research integrity

The issue of research integrity has become increasingly topical in recent years. A number of high-profile cases of researchers who do not always respect the scientific and moral standards of research have surfaced in various countries.

Research integrity is closely linked but not quite identical to research ethics. Integrity specifically involves those aspects that are linked to the quality of research practice and its results. Ethics is primarily about standards and values to be taken into account by the researcher to protect the well-being of humans and animals involved in research and the results thereof. A researcher may falsify data without immediately putting humans or animals at risk. Such a researcher does not act with integrity, for the results of his research are unreliable, but he does not engage in direct unethical conduct with respect to humans, animals and their environment. However, the fact that the use of such manipulated results may eventually cause harm to humans, animals and their environment, shows that integrity and ethics can never be completely separated. From a broad ethical point of view, falsification of research data or otherwise tampering with research data is, of course, unacceptable. Therefore, it may be better to consider research integrity as a special dimension of research ethics.

As the organisation in charge of research funding in Flanders, the FWO has a great responsibility in preventing and, where necessary, combating infringements of research ethics. It intends to fully shoulder this responsibility by implementing actions both within and outside the walls of the FWO.

Research integrity contact point: Danny Huysmans, danny.huysmans@fwo.be, 02/550.15.32
The FWO has no own Committee for Scientific Integrity. The committee of the institution where an FWO researcher works, investigates a possible complaint.

Research Integrity within the FWO

In 2013, a taskforce at FWO set out to propose measures to ensure research integrity. The taskforce was made up of academics from the Flemish universities and from various research areas. It was chaired by Professor Jacob Fokkema, Honorary Rector of TU Delft and member of the Board of Trustees of the FWO. The conclusions of the taskforce have been the subject of intensive consultation between the FWO and the Flemish universities. The proposals were approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2015.

Attention was directed to both prevention and awareness raising, detection and monitoring, corrective action and sanctioning.

The following measures were implemented:

incorporation of a clause in calls, application forms and agreements;
profiles for researchers, supervisors and institutions, with rights and duties;
amendments to the regulations;
further development of the procedures used by the FWO and the host institutions of the researchers to deal with infringements.

Research integrity clause

To prevent infringements and raise the awareness of researchers benefiting from FWO funding, all calls, application forms and agreements between the researchers and the FWO incorporate a research integrity clause.

The text of this clause informs researchers benefiting from FWO funding, their host institutions, (co-)supervisors and other staff involved in FWO research, of their obligation to comply at all times with research integrity standards. The Ethische Code voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek in België and the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity are included as attachments to calls, application forms and agreements. They contain the fundamental ethical rules of conduct. The FWO assumes that every researcher submitting an application has taken cognisance of these codes and undertakes to comply with their provisions in all stages of the proposed research. This also applies for their host institutions, (co-)supervisors and staff involved in FWO research for which they assume co-responsibility.

In case of doubt regarding the applicability or the method of application of a provision, the host institution and/or the researcher responsible for the project or fellowship is expected to contact the FWO administration in order to provide clarification and agree on specific arrangements in this respect.

Profiles

Prevention and awareness raising inherently imply a clear description of the role of the supervisor on the one hand, and of the role of the PhD student and other junior researchers on the other hand.[1] Every researcher, both supervisory and executive level, should be properly informed of what is expected of them, of what is and what is not acceptable. This also applies to the host institution where they are active.

In this context, a 'junior researcher' denotes not only the PhD student, but also other researchers working under the supervision of a supervisor. Their responsibilities in conducting the research are in fact similar to those of the PhD students and the supervisor is also responsible for their guidance. Since the FWO has a direct relationship only with supervisors and fellows, researchers assigned to research projects are mentioned only in the profile description of supervisors. However, such researchers can also prepare a PhD and can also identify with the content of the profile description of PhD students. Where the supervisor profile speaks of 'PhD student', the latter may therefore be either a fellow or a project assistant. The description 'other researchers associated with his FWO research project' in the supervisor profile refers only to assistants that are not PhD students. Moreover, postdoctoral researchers may also be addressed, because they can be active as fellows of the FWO or as assistant or co-supervisor of an FWO project.

The FWO expects the (co-)supervisor of an FWO research project or FWO research fellowship to meet a number of specific requirements. Upon acceptance of such a supervisorship, the (co-)supervisor in each case undertakes to meet the requirements, responsibilities and tasks set out below.

The (co-)supervisor (both as supervisor of a pre-doctoral student and as chief or co-supervisor of an FWO research project)

1. Research competencies

is himself/herself active in research at a high academic level;

in a research area that is sufficiently compatible with that of the PhD student or other researchers associated with his/her FWO research project;

is able to offer the necessary expertise, infrastructure and guidance;

2. Design, planning and preconditions

is co-responsible for the design and planning of the research conducted by the researchers associated with his/her FWO research project in relation to their research competences;

helps ensure adequate integration into the research unit where the PhD student, the postdoctoral researcher and/or other researchers associated with his/her FWO research project are active; where appropriate, he/she shares this responsibility with the other projects managers within the unit;

creates the preconditions that are indispensable for the proper functioning of the PhD student, the postdoctoral researcher and/or other researchers associated with his/her FWO research project;

3. Consultation, evaluation and corrective action

supervises the research of the PhD student and provides for a sufficient number of contact moments to thoroughly discuss all relevant aspects; the degree of supervision of other researchers associated with his FWO research project is commensurate with their input in the project;

evaluates the performance of the researchers for which he/she is responsible and takes corrective action as necessary;

4. Publications

ensures that the PhD student publishes the results of his/her research when they are ready, but also prevents them from being published when they are not (yet) ready or take a form that does not conform to the generally accepted standards of research practice; this also applies with respect to postdoctoral researchers in relation to their more advanced research competences and other researchers associated with his/her FWO research project if justified by their input in the project;

adequately informs the researchers under his/her responsibility about their responsibility for their contributions to a publication, and bears himself/herself the responsibility associated with (co-)authorship;

ensures that the PhD student and the postdoctoral researcher are recognised as (co-)author of publications that are (partly) based on their research and (partly) written by them, and that the PhD student and the postdoctoral researcher, in case of several authors, are allocated a place in the list of authors that is commensurate with their input in the publication; where appropriate, this also applies with respect to other researchers associated with his/her FWO research project;

for all of these activities, takes into account the common practice within the discipline, but in each case ensures that PhD students are given maximum opportunity to act as first or main author;

5. Data management

ensures that all data relating to the research conducted under his/her supervision are stored securely and durably, taking into account the specific characteristics of the discipline and the nature of the research;

6. Training and professional experience

assists in monitoring the implementation of the PhD training programme and the use of other opportunities for training and professional experience that may promote the PhD research and/or the future career of the PhD student;

introduces the PhD student to relevant research networks and encourages participation in those networks;

7. Research Integrity

monitors compliance by the PhD student, the postdoctoral researchers and other researchers associated with his FWO research project, with the generally accepted standards of research integrity;

complies himself/herself with these standards and creates a climate in which these standards drive the conduct of all parties involved.
1. Rights

can count on the guidance and expertise of the supervisor and also on his/her evaluation and corrective action, but assumes himself/herself a more significant role in his/her research as it proceeds and his own research capacity increases;

is entitled to the material preconditions for conducting his/her research, for which the supervisor is responsible;

is assisted by the supervisor with the integration into the research unit, but also makes its own contribution in this respect to the best of his/her abilities;

2. Duties

takes sufficient initiative and makes sufficient efforts to ensure the successful progress of the PhD research;

reports problems or challenges as quickly as possible to the supervisor and/or other parties involved for the purpose of solving them as efficiently as possible;

complies with the generally accepted standards of research integrity;

ensures that his/her research data are stored securely and durably, taking into account the specific characteristics of the discipline and the nature of the research;

helps ensure, with the support from his supervisor, that research results are published when they are ready, and is entitled to recognition as (co-)author according to common practice within the discipline;

puts his/her PhD training into practice in a way that is suitable for his/her research and his/her broader development as an advanced researcher;

seizes the opportunities offered by the supervisor and others to take part in suitable research networks and, where possible and appropriate, assists in developing such networks.
1. Rights

can count on the guidance of the supervisor (for research projects) or the head of the research unit (for individual fellowships), but takes on an important role himself/herself that is commensurate with his/her advanced research capacity and the degree of autonomy, which will be greater for individual fellowships than for projects;

is entitled to the material preconditions for conducting his/her research, for which the supervisor is responsible;

is assisted by the supervisor and/or the head of the research unit with the integration into the research unit, but makes his/her own contribution in this respect to the best of his/her abilities;

2. Duties

takes sufficient initiative and makes sufficient efforts to ensure the successful progress of the postdoctoral research;

reports problems or challenges as quickly as possible to the supervisor, the head of the research unit and/or other parties involved for the purpose of solving them as efficiently as possible;

complies with the generally accepted standards of research integrity;

ensures that his/her research data are stored securely and durably, taking into account the specific characteristics of the discipline and the nature of the research;

helps ensure, with the support from the supervisor, that research results are published when they are ready, and is entitled to recognition as (co-)author according to the common practice within the discipline;

seizes the opportunities offered by the supervisor and/or the head of the research unit and others to take part in suitable research networks and, where possible and appropriate, assists in developing such networks.
monitor the qualities and the proper functioning of the supervisor;

monitor the qualities and the proper functioning of the PhD students, postdoctoral and other researchers;

in particular pay sufficient attention to prevention, awareness raising, training, detection, monitoring, remediation and sanctioning with respect to all aspects of research integrity;

take appropriate action in case of complaints or comments from one or more actors in the research process;

ensure that research data can be stored securely and durably, within the limits of the facilities available at the institution.

Regulations

The general regulations and the regulations for pre- and postdoctoral researchers have been modified to allow the FWO to adequately respond to any research integrity issues experienced with beneficiaries of FWO funding. These modifications already cover the area of correction and sanctioning. They also provide for proper alignment with the host institutions where the researchers are active.

Research Integrity outside the FWO

In Flanders

Because vigilance is also required in Flanders, the FWO took the initiative to establish a Vlaamse Commissie voor Wetenschappelijke Integriteit (Flemish Committee for Scientific Integrity, VCWI) in 2011. It was established on 9 October 2013 and is located in the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB), which provides the secretariat there. The organisations that together decided to establish the VCWI are:

Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB)
Royal Academy for Medicine of Belgium (KAGB)
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT)
KU Leuven
Universiteit Antwerpen
Universiteit Gent
Universiteit Hasselt
Vrije Universiteit Brussel

These institutions have approved the regulations of the VCWI and stated they will incorporate the recommendations of the VCWI in their decision-making process.

The VCWI has two tasks:

1. give advice on concrete case files that have already been dealt with in one or more of the committees for scientific integrity of the Flemish universities at the institutions concerned;
2. give advice on more general questions concerning this subject matter.

This committee thus contributes to the uniform treatment of questions in connection with research ethics and awareness-raising surrounding this issue.

More information can be found on the VCWI website www.vcwi.be. The site also describes who can consult the VCWI and how this should be done.

International

FWO is a member of Science Europe, which has included research integrity in its Strategy Plan 2021-2026.

In the European Network of Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO) Flanders is represented by the VCWI. This network is a platform for the discussion between different European organisations about the policy on this subject.

Research integrity

Research Integrity within the FWO

Research integrity clause

Profiles

Profile of a good supervisor

Profile of a PhD student

Profile of a postdoctoral researcher

Profile of the host institution

Regulations

Research Integrity outside the FWO

In Flanders

International