Accountability in action

‘The system should be fixed’ is a sentence often heard in academic discussions, especially among those who care deeply about improving academic culture.

Yet the main question is not only whether change is needed, but what change requires in practice. At the heart of many proposed solutions lies accountability, frequently mentioned, but rarely clearly defined. What would it mean to make accountability a foundational pillar of a reformed academic system?

The academic journey at TU Delft often begins with a PhD position that serves as the entry point for many early-career researchers. The PhD is also the first formal recognition granted by academia to young researchers that allows them to help shape the future academic culture.

Many PhD candidates experience supportive and collaborative environments throughout their doctoral journey. However, the perception of academia as an inherently competitive environment can help normalise damaging behaviours, including gossip, rivalry, undermining of colleagues, and damage to professional reputations.

In such settings, success is viewed as a race rather than a collective effort. Academic advancement becomes a ladder to climb, with peers viewed as obstacles or stepping stones rather than collaborators.

Having acknowledged the pressures and realities of the PhD experience, it is worth considering what responsibilities and forms of accountability might help address them.

Should we not also expect academics to contribute responsibly to the academic community itself?

One possible avenue concerns the responsibilities associated with obtaining a PhD degree. As I mentioned above, the PhD title is often the first formal recognition granted in an academic career, signalling readiness to join the academic community as an independent researcher. If we expect future academics to contribute responsibly to scientific knowledge, should we not also expect them to contribute responsibly to the academic community itself?

While current PhD regulations rightly emphasise scientific integrity, personal conduct is often treated as separate from degree eligibility. Yet the quality of an academic environment depends not only on how research is conducted, but also on how colleagues are treated. Should personal integrity, respect, and accountability therefore form part of the criteria for earning the title?

The significance of this discussion extends beyond the PhD phase itself. Many PhD graduates continue in academia as postdoctoral researchers, assistant professors, supervisors, and eventually institutional leaders. The norms and behaviours tolerated at the beginning of an academic career often shape the culture carried into later stages. If accountability is absent at the point where researchers first enter the profession, we should not be surprised when the same patterns reappear among future generations of academics.

If accountability is to become a defining feature of academic culture, it should begin at the very first stage of an academic career. Accountability must become one of the foundational pillars of the academic system, not accountability in principle, but accountability in action.