Research ethics

Research ethical issues arise in all kinds of research: the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and medicine. It concerns anything from publication and plagiarism, handling of research material and personal data, research funding och conflicts of interests, to animal experiments and human trials.

Good research can hardly be separated from good research practice. For the individual researcher, it is therefore tremendously important to be able to analyze and take a stand on research ethical issues, and to be familiar with any relevant legislation. Moreover, according to the higher education ordinance, each higher education institution must ensure that staff can obtain advice and support on issues relating to good research practice and deviations from such practice.

The course in research ethics is given in English and is completely web based. It is primarily aimed at doctoral students, but it also welcomes doctoral student supervisors and anyone else within the research community who may be interested. The course is composed of five modules of 1.5 ECTS each (7.5 ECTS in total), which may to some extent be taken separately. See more below.

1. Introduction

Ethical problems involve conflicts of interest. In research ethics such conflicts are usually between, on the one hand, the scientific interest in generating new knowledge, and, on the other hand, different personal and social interests that are affected by the research process or its results. This course gives an overview of ethical conflicts that researchers need to be aware of and be prepared to handle in their work. It introduces some conceptual and theoretical tools from philosophical ethics, for example regarding the valuation of consequences of actions, regarding rights and duties, and ethical comportment. It also gives a short overview of relevant rules and regulations.

2. Conduct and misconduct

Questions about scientific misconduct concern situations where researchers are tempted to put their personal, economic or career interest before the interests of science and the scientific community. An important area regards plagiarism and stealing ideas, results or data from other researchers. There are many clear cases of plagiarism, but also borderline cases where conceptual clarity and a reflective attitude concerning good practice is important. These questions are related to a set of issues around publication ethics, which also raises the problem of “self-plagiarism.” Other kinds of misconduct concern the handling of research data, from fabrication and forgery to misleading presentation of data, and deficient the preservation and accessibility of data to control and further research. The relevant problems are treated in connection with real examples and problematic situations from the participants’ own experiences.

3. Harm and consent

Much research in the human sciences involves participants from outside of the scientific community, for example giving information through surveys or interviews, or by taking part as subjects in experiments. Research must be planned and conducted with respect for the safety and personal integrity of such persons. A growing new field which raises these questions is research on the Internet and on social media. A key concept in this connection is “consent” and the form in which consent can be sought and given in different contexts. Another related problem complex concerns research on vulnerable or discriminated groups, that may be negatively affected by the research process or its results.

4. Values

Ethical considerations in research presuppose that other interests are balanced against the scientific value of the research and its expected results. But what is worth knowing and why? How can one balance the priorities that are made within a scientific discipline against the needs and wishes of society at large? Does the scientific community have a responsibility for the knowledge culture of society as a whole, and does this have any implications for the conduct of individual researchers? Under what circumstances should the researcher take up the role as expert and how should one behave in that role?

5. Ethical vetting

This course is aimed at practical questions regarding ethical vetting, with direct relevance for the research projects of participants. What projects must be, or should be, formally vetted? How does one write an application and how is it assessed? The course involves teachers with experience from both sides of the process – to apply for and receive approval, and to assess applications. Participants will have the opportunity to work on their own projects: do they need ethical vetting and how should the application be formulated?