Ethical responsibilities
Academic Integrity policy
On the Academic Integrity pages you will find all the information you need regarding the complaints procedures involving the Academic Integrity Committee (and, possibly, LOWI.) Here, you will also find the contact details of Confidential Counsellors and ethical review committees.
What VU Amsterdam does to implement its duties of care may also interest you: we facilitate scientists at all levels to be cognisant of applicable standards of good research practice. Hierarchy should not obstruct the process of discussing these standards and holding each other accountable for our behaviour. We strive for a safe, inclusive and open working culture in which scientific integrity is safeguarded by all staff members.
For general information, you can reach out at the centralised level. For discipline-specific information, you may contact either the Academic Integrity Coordinator of your faculty or – for confidential matters – a Confidential Counsellor.
Ethical review
In accordance with the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity 2018, researchers have an important moral responsibility to act with respect and care for research participants and to monitor the impact of their research on society. To this end, ethical review committees have been set up. They assess the design of research in relation to the potential harmful consequences, voluntariness of participation, information provision and data protection.
How researchers should deal with ethical issues depends on the type of research they are conducting. Information on WMO and non-WMO research and the rules and regulations regarding ethical review you can find on the Academic Integrity pages.
Authorship
The standard of good research practice for authorship can be different per discipline. “Ensure a fair allocation and ordering of authorship, in line with the standards applicable within the discipline(s) concerned”, as is states in the Netherlands Code of Conduct.
Nevertheless, there are basic rules that apply for all disciplines:
- All authors must have made a genuine intellectual contribution to at least one of the following elements: the design of the research, the acquisition of data, its analysis or the interpretation of findings.
- All authors must have approved the final version of the research product.
- All authors are fully responsible for the content of the research product, unless otherwise stated.
Failing to discuss authorship appropriately at an early stage is a common cause of research integrity problems.
Contact the Academic Integrity Coordinator of your faculty to learn about the applicable authorship standards in your discipline.
Fossil free research
On 20 April 2023, VU Amsterdam’s Executive Board announced it will no longer enter into research collaborations with companies in the fossil fuel industry unless those companies demonstrably commit to the Paris Agreement. Consequently, a Fossil Free Research Framework has been in effect since April 9, 2024.
The Central Committee for Fossil Free Research (CFFR) provides clarification and guidance on what steps are required for intended research collaborations with a fossil fuel company that may fall under the framework.
Generative AI
Using GenAI such as ChatGPT in research has benefits. These include convenience (simple interface), speed (e.g. summarising text) and scale (e.g. generating large amounts of infographics). GenAI can enhance your research capacity and you can integrate it into your methodology. However, GenAI should be used in a responsible way. Researchers should be aware of data privacy, verifying the output, sustainability and transparency about the use of GenAI in their research.