Plenary Meeting of the Committee on Ethics in Science – 15 April 2024

During the plenary meeting held on 15 April 2024, members of the Committee on Ethics in Science (CEiS) revisited the following matters:

• A notification regarding a potential case of plagiarism by a university researcher in a habilitation monograph published in 2013.

• A request for an opinion from CEiS on the “possible abuse of authority, failure to fulfill official duties, and commission of a disciplinary offense” by the Rector of a university.

• A request for CEiS’s opinion concerning a proposal to initiate an evaluation procedure of a research process prepared and conducted by a Research Team at a higher education institution.

In addition, CEiS reviewed a response from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education regarding a request to verify the procedure for appointing members of the Council of Scientific Excellence (RDN) and its Chairperson, submitted in connection with a report made by one of the professors.

Committee members also discussed:

• Ongoing correspondence concerning possible irregularities in the conduct of a clinical trial sponsored by a medical university.

• A letter forwarded to CEiS for information, originally sent by the Rector of a university to the Minister of Science, regarding his own disciplinary proceedings.

Prof. W. Fendler informed the Committee about a planned initiative titled “Integrity in Science” – a podcast series on the importance of ethics, honesty, and integrity in science, intended for both scientists and the general public.

CEiS also continued its discussion on the amendment of the Code of Ethics for Researchers.
Furthermore, Dr hab. R. Sławeta presented a new version of the data report concerning CEiS cases from 2019 to 2023.