Responsible conduct of research

The University of Helsinki observes the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK guidelines on the responsible conduct of research and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct as well as those on ethical review in human sciences.

The entire scientific community and each individual researcher are responsible for following the premises of the responsible conduct of research.

Premises for the responsible conduct of research include the following:

• The researcher follows the principles that are endorsed by the research community, that is, integrity, meticulousness and accuracy in conducting research, in recording and presenting results, and in evaluating the research and its results;
• The researcher takes due account of other researchers' work and achievements, and cites their work appropriately;
• The researcher complies with the standards set for scientific knowledge when planning, conducting and reporting the research;
• The researcher acquires the necessary research permits and ensures that the preliminary ethical review is conducted (according to field- and research-specific requirements);
• The research group defines and documents the status, rights, obligations and responsibilities of researchers, as well as questions concerning the ownership of research results and the archiving of research materials;
• The researchers announce their sources of financing and conflicts of interest to all the participants in the research and reports them when the research results are published;
• The researchers apply ethically sustainable methods for data acquisition, research and evaluation, and publish the results in an open and responsible fashion;
• The research organisation adheres to good administrative practices in human resources and financial management, and takes into account regulations on disqualification as well as legislation on data protection.

The research integrity adviser system is targeted at promoting the responsible conduct of research, identifying research misconduct and improving preventive measures, as well as lowering the threshold for making notifications of alleged RCR (responsible conduct of research) misconduct.

The advisers will provide negotiation support in the University community, as well as approachable and confidential guidance on how to proceed in investigating issues of research integrity and alleged RCR violations. The advisers are available to all members of the University community, even though they do represent different campuses and disciplines.

The research integrity adviser system was launched in 2017 at the initiative of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK.

The advisers do not have authority in any RCR processes that may be initiated nor do they participate in them.

University staff and students can find the contact details of research integrity advisers in the Flamma intranet (requires login).

Violation of the responsible conduct of research refers to

• disregard for the responsible conduct of research and the documentation of research results
• misconduct in research.

Research misconduct includes the fabrication, falsification, plagiarism and misappropriation of research results.

At the University of Helsinki, the chancellor is in charge of inquiries concerning alleged violations of the responsible conduct of research.

Allegations of such violations must be communicated in writing to the chancellor. This notification, which cannot be made anonymously, must specify the type of the alleged violation of the responsible conduct of research, as well as the grounds for the allegation.

The chancellor can also initiate an investigation of allegations that have come to their attention through other channels. The notification must be handled in accordance with the process for handling alleged violations of the responsible conduct of science. The written notification can be submitted by email to the chancellor’s office.