Researchers' integrity and good research practice

The backbone of good research practice is built by the individual researcher's integrity. There would be no reason to trust academic research was it not for each researcher's struggle to perform the methods as reliably as possible, analyze them with the most appropriate tools, present the results as honestly as possible, and do so even under pressure.

Christina Modin is professor emerita of organic chemistry and former president of European Academies' Science Advisory Council. This is her advise to KTH concerning good research practice:

For a brief overview of the meaning of researcher's integrity, please see ALLEA's Code of Conduct Links to an external site..

Researchers' integrity may and should be facilitated by a supporting organization and leadership. Fredrik Karlsson (ethics officer) give a view of the complexity that is sometimes faced by researchers when legal, ethical and practical challenges meet.

When good research practice is facilitated at a university, related issues are typically handled by formal guidelines, open collegial dialogue and education of both staff and students. Academic staff and support staff must cooperate in order for good research practice to be an actual practice.

 

* The ambition for good research practices is in itself vital and self-evident. Nevertheless, challenges amass when such an ambition meets contemporary society. Researchers' integrity must thus be supported by appropriate leadership and specialists. *

 

Please go on to next module to learn more about the support at KTH for research ethics.