About the National Survey on Research Integrity
WHAT IS NSRI?
The National Survey on Research Integrity (NSRI) is a unique endeavor to acquire the necessary solid empirical basis for building strategies to reduce Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) and thereby foster Responsible Research Practices (RRPs) in the Netherlands.
The NSRI acknowledges both the need to take an efficient science-overarching perspective and the differences between scientific disciplines. It also acknowledges the complexity of the science system by addressing the roles of all its major stakeholders (such as researchers, institutions funders, and journals).
WHY NSRI?
All scientific enterprises have the responsibility to ensure that the science it produces is trustworthy, to merit society’s trust and investment in science.
Although the importance of preventing QRPs is widely recognized, the scope of engagement in QRPs is currently unknown. It is also unclear which strategies should be employed to decrease the occurrence of QRPs.
Many initiatives aimed at promoting research integrity exist, but there is not enough strong empirical evidence on how to actually reduce researchers’ engagement in QRPs.
FOR WHOM?
We aim to raise awareness not only within The Netherlands on the prevalence of QRPs across the different science domains but also to shed light on specific determinants of these misbehaviors.
By doing so we hope to be able to influence the creation of a more transparent and rigorous approach in the conduct of science as a whole.
We believe our study findings are relevant for scientists, research institutions, funders, and publishers of scientific research.
The National Survey of Research Integrity (NSRI) is unique in a number of ways:
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It aims to provide valid disciplinary field specific Questionable Research Practices (QRP) estimates across 4 science domains namely the biomedical sciences, the humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and the social and behavioral sciences.
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It targets the largest sample ever studied in research integrity to-date: the entire population of academic researchers in The Netherlands.
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The survey will employ a well-validated technique known as the Randomized Response (RR) which has shown to elicit more honest answers around sensitive topics such as social security fraud and doping in sports.
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It will examine a broad range of potential determinants for engagement in QRPs in one single study.
When will the results of NSRI be available?
Once the study is conducted and the data analyzed, the outcomes from the NSRI will be available through Open Access publications and through (inter)national conferences. The results will also be used to develop concrete action plans on how to reduce QRPs and thereby foster Responsible Research Practices (RRPs) in the Netherlands, tailored to the major stakeholder groups and the four domains of science. These action plans will be co-created with stakeholder representatives from each domain, in collaboration with a professional change implementation organization.