Sound scientific practice is a part of the self-regulation of the academic community, which is bound by legislation. It is also a part of the quality assurance system of research organisations.
Each researcher and member of a research group is primarily responsible for adhering to the principles of responsible conduct of research, but the responsibility also extends to the entire scientific community.
The principles of responsible conduct of research include the following aspects:
- Integrity, meticulousness, and accuracy in conducting all phases of the study
- Ethical and sustainable data acquisition, research and evaluation methods
- Openness and responsible scientific communications when publishing research results
- Taking due account of the work and achievements of other researchers, eg citing their publications appropriately
- Planning and conducting scientific studies in accordance with the requirements set for scientific research
- Acquiring the necessary preliminary ethical reviews that are required for certain fields of research. (See requesting a research permit at the Tampere Universities community)
- In a manner suitable for all the parties involved, agreeing on the rights, principles and responsibilities of the research project or group as concerns authorship, use of data and user rights
- Announcing sources of funding, conflicts of interest or other commitments relevant to the conduct of research to all interested parties and reporting them when publishing the research results
- Refraining from all research-related evaluation and decision-making situations when there is reason to suspect a conflict of interest
- Adhering to good personnel and financial administration practices and taking into account the data protection legislation
Researchers must comply with the practices listed above when working as teachers or instructors, when applying for research positions or research funding, and when working as experts in their field.
In addition to research, the principles of responsible conduct of research also apply to teaching materials, written and spoken statements, evaluations, CVs and publication lists as well as to societal interaction in both printed and electronic publication channels, including the social media.
Visit the ‘Responsible conduct of research and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct in Finland (pdf)’ guideline by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity.
Tampere University’s Doctoral School provides education on sound scientific practices and research ethics.