To be or not to be value-free? A tension in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

In this paper, we document a tension in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: the Code seeks to limit the influence of non-epistemic values, and yet, it recognizes that such values play a legitimate role in research. By comparing various versions of the Code, we argue that, over time, there has been less explicit recognition of the complexity of the relation between research and societal values. Currently, the Code does not give guidance on what value influence count as undesirable or as “undue pressure,” and conflates the issues of value-freedom and scientific freedom. As the impact of non-epistemic values is becoming increasingly evident, we recommend that future codes start by explicitly acknowledging the challenges inherent in the relation between science and societal values, and we offer an example of how the ECoC could be revised to meet this recommendation.