01 Apr
20:00 - 21:45
Studium Generale | Lecture

Research Ethics and Integrity

First lecture: Never Waste a Good Crisis: Towards Responsible Data Management
Sijtsma will discuss four topics related to research integrity that have consequences for the way data is managed. First, he will discuss the occurrence of a large number of recently exposed scientific fraud cases inside and outside The Netherlands, and ask what their implications are for the scientific enterprise and its public image. Second, he will switch to Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) and argue that, compared to fraud cases, they constitute a much bigger problem for science. He discusses the origins of QRPs, and in particular pays attention to the use of statistics. He explains why statistics is so difficult for researchers and why it is unreasonable to expect that researchers can use statistics without running into serious problems. Third, he explains why science policy, rather than additional statistics training, may help to improve the use of statistics and reduce the occurrence of QRPs. Fourth, he discusses some of his own experiences with data fraud and QRPs and explain some of the interventions that were introduced at Tilburg University to fight QRPs

Klaas Sijtsma’s PhD thesis (1988) was about nonparametric item response theory, and he defended it at the University of Groningen. He has published more than 200 articles and chapters on methodological and statistical topics, mainly in the area of psychometrics. He is the author of the Dutch-language textbook Test theory (with Pieter Drenth) and a monograph on nonparametric item response theory (with Ivo Molenaar). Sijtsma was chair of the Dutch Committee on Tests and Testing (2005-2010), President of the Psychometric Society (2010-2011), and Dean of Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (2011-2017).

Second lecture: Solutions for the two main nuisances in academic life
The way academics publish and compete for grants is extremely inefficient. Ultimately, the source of both problems is our over-confidence in judging about other’s work. First, I will introduce a radical solution for the publication crisis. In this ‘power to the author’ model, authors and not editors decide about publishing. Second, I will argue for a larger role of chance in deciding about grant allocation.

Han van der Maas is professor of Psychological Methods and director of the Research Institute of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam

Organised together with UM Platform of Research Ethics and Integrity. We invite UM staff, in particular, to discuss their views and standards, but others are welcome too.

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