Good Scientific Practice and Procedures for Handling Misconduct and Fraud in Science

Good scientific practice

For scientific research to be ethically acceptable and reliable and its findings credible, the conduct of research must conform to good scientific practice. Good scientific practice entails, among other things, that researchers and scientific experts

1. follow modes of action endorsed by the research community, that is, integrity, meticulousness and accuracy in conducting research, in recording and presenting results, and in judging research and its results;
2. apply ethically sustainable data-collection, research and evaluation methods conforming to scientific criteria, and practise openness intrinsic to scientific knowledge in publishing their findings; and
3. take due account of other researchers' work and achievements, respecting their work and giving due credit and weight to their achievements in carrying out their own research and publishing its results.

Further, it is in keeping of good scientific practice that

4. research is planned, conducted and reported in detail and according to the standards set for scientific knowledge;
5. questions relating to the status, rights, co-authorship, liabilities and obligations of the members of a research team, right to research results and the preservation of material are determined and recorded in a manner acceptable to all parties before the research project starts or a researcher is recruited to the team;
6. the sources of financing and other associations relevant to the conduct of research are made known to those participating in the research and reported when the findings are published; and
7. good administrative practice and good personnel and financial management practices are observed.

In addition, different disciplines have special characteristics relating to good scientific practice, which are specified in more detail in the codes of practice issued by learned societies and professional organisations. Higher education institutions and research institutes have issued, and can issue, specific guidelines concerning research conducted under their auspices.

Universities, research institutes, polytechnics and other organisations carrying out research must see to it that the education they provide familiarises students with good scientific practice and research ethics. Every unit providing researcher training has a duty to include in its researcher training programme questions relating to good scientific practice specific to its disciplines.

The responsibility for abiding by good scientific practice rests with the research community as a whole. Commitment to good scientific practice is primarily up to each researcher and each member of a research team individually, but also to each research team collectively, the head of a research unit and the leadership of an organisation carrying out research. Learned societies operating in Finland, on their part, are responsible for upholding and promoting good scientific practice, which they can maintain for instance through the peer review system of scientific publications.