A new code of conduct was published on Friday by the universities’ association VSNU which is designed to prevent scientific fraud, NRC reports.

The move comes after Tilburg professor Diederik Stapel was found to have faked research data in at least 30 scientific papers.
Under the new code, universities will be able to warn each other if one of their researchers is found guilty of plagiarism or fraud. This will prevent researchers changing jobs without having to admit to their actions.
There is also one rule for all universities on how to deal with complaints about fraud. An earlier article in NRC said universities had different measures for plagiarism, the most common kind of fraud.
Pieter Drenth, former president of the Netherlands Academy for Science, told the paper he thinks the new code of conduct is a ‘missed opportunity’. ‘There is no code of behaviour for university managers and the definition of plagiarism and fraud is too vague,’ he said.
The VSNU says the code of conduct cannot regulate everything. ‘Where the rules are broken, this has to be dealt with on a case by case basis,’ it told the paper.