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On this page is a list of organisations that have committed themselves to following TENK's guidelines Responsible conduct of research and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct in Finland. Guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 2012 (PDF) also known as the RCR Guidelines.

Universities (14/14)

• Aalto University
• Hanken School of Economics
• LUT University
• National Defense University
• Tampere University
• University of the Arts Helsinki
• University of Eastern Finland
• University of Helsinki
• University of Jyväskylä
• University of Lapland
• University of Oulu
• University of Turku
• University of Vaasa
• Åbo Akademi University

Universities of Applied Sciences (23/24)

• Arcada University of Applied Sciences
• Centria University of Applied Sciences
• Diakonia University of Applied Sciences
• HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences
• Humak University of Applied Sciences
• Häme University of Applied Sciences
• JAMK University of Applied Sciences
• Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
• Karelia University of Applied Sciences
• LAB University of Applied Sciences
• Lapland University of Applied Sciences
• Laurea University of Applied Sciences
• Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
• Novia University of Applied Sciences
• Oulu University of Applied Sciences
• Police University College
• Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
• Savonia University of Applied Sciences
• Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences
• South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences
• Tampere University of Applied Sciences
• Turku University of Applied Sciences
• Vaasa University of Applied Sciences

Research institutes and other organisations (66)

• Academy of Finland
• Age Institute
• Business Finland
• ETLA Economic Research
• Center for Cultural Policy Research Cupore
• Centre for Consumer Society Research
• Consultancy for Regional Development MDI
• Demos Research Institute
• Emergency Services Academy Finland
• Federation of Finnish Learned Societies
• Finnish Academy of Technical Sciences (TTA)
• Finnish Association of Work Life Research (FAWORE)
• Finnish Centre for Pensions (ETK)
• Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
• Finnish Food Authority
• Finnish Heritage Agency
• Finnish Historical Society
• Finnish institute for health and welfare (THL)
• Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
• Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (TTL)
• Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation (KVS)
• Finnish Literature Society (SKS)
• Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea
• Finnish Meteorological Institute
• Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK
• Finnish Oriental Society
• Finnish Society for Aesthetics 
• Finnish Society for Childhood Studies
• Finnish Society for Cinema Studies (SETS)
• Finnish Society for Futures Studies
• Finnish Society for Research on Adult Education
• Finnish Society of Forest Science
• Finnish Youth Research Society / Finnish Youth Research Network
• Folkhälsan Research Center, Samfundet Folkhälsan i svenska Finland rf (the Folkhälsan Foundation)
• Foundation of Finnish Institute in the Middle East
• Genealogical Society of Finland
• Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)
• Historian Ystäväin Liitto
• Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS)
• Hospital District of Northern Savo
• Hospital District of South Ostrobothnia
• Hospital District of Southwest Finland
• Institute for the languages of Finland (KOTUS)
• Kela Research / The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
• Kone Foundation
• LIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health 
• Migration Institute of Finland
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland
• National Archives of Finland
• National Land Survey of Finland
• Natural Resources Institute LUKE
• Pellervo Economic Research PTT
• Population Research Institute / Family Federation of Finland 
• Orton scientific research unit, Orton Ltd
• Pirkanmaa Hospital District 
• Prime Minister's Office
• Prologos
• Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK)
• Research Centre of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
• Research Foundation for Studies and Education Otus
• Society for Medieval Archaeology in Finland
• Society for Rehabilitation Research and Development (SRRD)
• Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS)
• UKK Institute
• VATT Institute for Economic Research
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

Guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 2012 (text-only version)

These RCR guidelines were published on 14 November 2012 and are applied from 1 March, 2013. A research organisation may commit itself to following these guidelines by signing the commitment form that is available on the TENK web page, www.tenk.fi.

Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity

Editorial staff: Krista Varantola (chair), Veikko Launis, Markku Helin, Sanna Kaisa Spoof & Sanna Jäppinen (secretary)

Helsinki 2013

ISBN 978-952-5995-06-0 (pain.)
ISBN 978-952-5995-07-7 (pdf)

A print version of the guidelines can be downloaded in Finnish, Swedish and English: Responsible conduct of research and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct in Finland. Guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity 2012 (PDF)

Introduction

The Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK), which is appointed by The Ministry of Education and Culture, has published guidelines for the responsible conduct of research and for handling alleged violations of conduct (the RCR guidelines) in co-operation with the Finnish research community. The objective is to promote the responsible conduct of research (in Finnish hyvä tieteellinen käytäntö) while ensuring that the alleged violations are handled with competence, fairness and expediency.

The RCR guidelines provide researchers with a model for the responsible conduct of research. The effectiveness of these guidelines is based on a voluntary commitment by the research community to adhere to them, and to increase awareness of the principles of research integrity. The RCR guidelines apply to all academic disciplines in Finland, and a list of the organisations committed to these guidelines can be found on TENK’s website.

The objective of these guidelines is to promote the responsible conduct of research and to prevent misconduct in research  in all organisations involved in research work, such as universities, research institutes and universities of applied sciences. These guidelines are also to be adhered to, whenever applicable, when co-operating with enterprises and other partners, either nationally or internationally.

The premise of the RCR guidelines is that promoting the responsible conduct of research and handling alleged violations are primarily the responsibility of the organisations conducting research. When alleged  misconduct has been reported and the report has been finalised by the organisation, the party dissatisfied with the ruling may request a statement from TENK. In its other activities, TENK focuses on promoting the responsible conduct of research, as well as formulating and publicising common guidelines in co-operation with the research organisations.

In addition to the RCR guidelines, TENK has published the guidelines entitled "Ethical principles of research in the humanities and social and behavioural sciences and proposals for ethical review" and, in co-operation with the research community, has formulated a model CV for researchers, Template for researcher's curriculum vitae.

In Finnish, the term research ethics (tutkimusetiikka) is a general concept that covers all the ethical viewpoints and evaluations that are related to science and research. The scope and mandate of the Advisory Board is, however, narrower and refers to following an ethically responsible and proper course of action in research, as well as identifying and preventing fraud and dishonesty in all research. In English, this concept is usually referred to as research integrity, a term that emphasises the honesty and integrity that all researchers are required to adopt in their research activities. According to the internationally established practice, the name of the Advisory Board was changed to the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity in 2012.

The Advisory Board does not intervene when there are violations of the norms of a specific academic discipline if these violations do not at the same time constitute a fraud as described in the RCR guidelines. Furthermore, the Advisory Board does not address alleged violations of the law, such as copyright law or patent law.

As the Advisory Board focuses solely on research integrity issues, its statements comment only on whether the RCR investigation has been conducted in compliance with these guidelines, and whether there has been a violation of the responsible conduct of research. In other words, the Advisory Board does not comment on matters of opinion, on the different schools of thought, or on issues of professional ethics.

Certain academic disciplines have their own ethical norms and governing bodies, such as The National Advisory Board on Social Welfare and Health Care Ethics (ETENE), The National Committee on Medical Research Ethics (TUKIJA) and the Advisory Board on Biotechnology (BTNK). These boards and committees offer advice on professional ethics in more detail, for example, by offering information on the relationship between the researcher and the research subject. In addition to these boards and committees, some institutions, such as universities, hospitals and universities of applied sciences, have regional and local advisory boards on research integrity.

Moreover, there has been extensive international debate on the common principles of research integrity and on how to identify the violations of the responsible conduct of research. Some codes of conduct jointly created and agreed upon are The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (European Science Foundation ESF & ALL European Academies ALLEA 2011), the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity (World Conference on Research Integrity 2010, Singapore), the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, ICMJE), and the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (Committee on Publication Ethics, COPE 2011).

The RCR guidelines are in accordance with the international codes of conduct. The RCR guidelines also provide the guidelines for investigating alleged RCR violations in Finland.

The responsible conduct of research

In order for research to be ethically acceptable and reliable and for its results to be credible, the research must be conducted according to the responsible conduct of research. Applying the guidelines for the responsible conduct of research within the research community constitutes a form of self-regulation that is bound by legislation. Furthermore, the responsible conduct of research is an integral part of the quality assurance of research organisations. From the point of view of research integrity, the premises for the responsible conduct of research are the following:

1. The research follows the principles that are endorsed by the research community, that is, integrity, meticulousness, and accuracy in conducting research, and in recording, presenting, and evaluating the research results.
2. The methods applied for data acquisition as well as for research and evaluation, conform to scientific criteria and are ethically sustainable. When publishing the research results, the results are communicated in an open and responsible fashion that is intrinsic to the dissemination of scientific knowledge.
3. The researcher takes due account of the work and achievements of other researchers by respecting their work, citing their publications appropriately, and by giving their achievements the credit and weight they deserve in carrying out the researcher’s own research and publishing its results.
4. The researcher complies with the standards set for scientific knowledge in planning and conducting the research, in reporting the research results and in recording the data obtained during the research.
5. The necessary research permits have been acquired and the preliminary ethical review that is required for certain fields of research has been conducted.
6. Before beginning the research or recruiting the researchers, all parties within the research project or team (the employer, the principal investigator, and the team members) agree on the researchers’ rights, responsibilities, and obligations, principles concerning authorship, and questions concerning archiving and accessing the data. These agreements may be further specified during the course of the research.
7. Sources of financing, conflicts of interest or other commitments relevant to the conduct of research are announced to all members of the research project and reported when publishing the research results.
8. Researchers refrain from all research-related evaluation and decision-making situations, when there is reason to suspect a conflict of interest.
9. The research organisation adheres to good personnel and financial administration practices and takes into account the data protection legislation.

In addition, researchers also need to comply with the practices listed above when working as teachers or instructors, when applying for research positions or for research funding, as well as when functioning as experts in their field both inside and outside the research community.

Besides research activity, the principles of responsible conduct of research 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.