Disclosing Conflicts of Interest in Scientific Advice
From The Embassy of Good Science
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Disclosing Conflicts of Interest in Scientific Advice
What is this about?
Regarding a case in which a researcher at VU Amsterdam was alleged to have failed to disclose fully his conflicts of interest in publications, scientific advice and a research proposal, there was a disagreement between the institutional research integrity committee and The Netherlands Board on Research Integrity ('LOWI') concerning the application of the assessment framework that relates to conflicts of interests. According to the institutional research integrity committee, although failure to disclose relevant secondary interests is a case of negligence, it does not imply that the primary obligation to ensure reliable academic practice has been violated. This meant that the institutional research integrity committee determined that the behaviour of the researcher could not be reviewed under the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Academic Practice. The LOWI disagreed with this interpretation. This is a factual anonymized case.
Why is this important?
It demonstrates the tensions that can arise between institutional research integrity committees and national research integrity bodies in the application of the standards governing conflicts of interests. Different interpretations of these standards can lead to diverging opinions regarding whether research misconduct has been committed.
For whom is this important?
ResearchersEthics committee membersResearch Ethics CommitteesResearch Integrity OfficersResearch institutionsUniversities
What are the best practices?
Failures to disclose conflicts of interests should be investigated on the basis of institutional codes of conduct for research integrity.
