Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS)

Scientific integrity

All LIAS members and visitors are kindly requested to familiarize themselves with the information provided below, to the level of detail they feel is appropriate to their situation. This information overlaps in part with the University’s web pages on scientific integrity.

The following items are a good place to start:

• Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. This code is addressed to researchers, research trainees, and students; and to administrators.
• European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: combines well with the Netherlands Code and is fairly practice-oriented.
• Ethics and integrity in academic work, a video lecture that is part of a training module for PhD candidates.
• Social Safety in Dutch Academia: From Paper to Practice. This research-based report considers social safety to be a precondition for good scientific practice and research integrity.
• On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, published by the National Academies Press (USA). A brief, well-written book. While many of the examples come from the physical sciences, the underlying issues and the way they can play out are equally relevant for the humanities and the social sciences.
• Kees Schuyt, Scientific Integrity: The Rules of Academic Research, translated by Kristen Gehrman. A critical, reflexive study that usefully complements codes of conduct and how-to publications. Includes substantial discussion of material taken from social science and the humanities as well as the physical sciences.
• The Dilemma Game, developed by Erasmus University Rotterdam.
• Leiden University web pages on scientific integrity, including information on procedures to address suspected violations of academic integrity.

Integrity committee and confidential counselor

This web page includes information on the University’s scientific integrity committee and the confidential counselor you can approach with questions or concerns.

Other important documents include:

• Leiden University Code of Conduct. On standards of behavior in staff-student relationships.

• Leiden University guidelines on plagiarism
• Leiden University Library guidelines on data management
• Responsible Research Data Management and the Prevention of Scientific Misconduct. Paper by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), downloadable at bottom of page, under ‘Beschikbaar als pdf.’ 
• National Board for Research Integrity (LOWI). Once issues of academic integrity have been formally addressed at the institution in question, this is where the indiviudual(s) and/or the institution involved can take the matter if they wish to pursue it further.