On Epistemic Integrity in Social Research

Abstract

The concept of research integrity has gained increasing public salience in recent times. The chapter deals with a crucial aspect of this in the context of social researchwhat can be referred to as epistemic integrity. This amounts to a practical commitment to values that are intrinsic to all research activity, given that its goal is the production of worthwhile knowledge. These values include: truth and justifiability of findings, their relevance to human concerns, feasibility of strategies, and honesty about the research process. The implications of these values are outlined in relation to the various stages of research, from selecting and developing research questions to reporting research findings and engaging with Much of the thinking behind this chapter was stimulated by a seminar on Scientific Integrity in Qualitative Research organized by Lakshmi Balachandran Nair, Utrecht University, September 2017. Gerben Moerman, of the University of Amsterdam, in particular, supplied encouragement and information about recent cases of scientific fraud in the social sciences.