Internationale Literatursammlung des Netzwerks ENRIO

ENRIO provides an extensive collection of international guidelines and reports on research integrity, best practices, case studies and teaching tools. You can find the collection on the ENRIO website under “resources”.

Statements der World Conferenes on Research Integrity (WCRI)

In the fram of the World Conferences on Research Integrity (WCRI), Research Integrity Statements that have been developed jointly with the conference participants are being published regularly. The Statements can be downloaded on the website of the WCRI-Foundation under “Guidance”. For example, the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity published in 2010 represents the first collection of internationally valid principles of RI. The Hong Kong Principles for Assessing Researchers published in 2019 are dealing with the assessment of research beyond metrics. In 2023, the Cape Town Statement on Fostering Research Integrity through Fairness and Equity was published.

The Embassy of Good Science

The interactive platform “The Embassy of Good Science” is an online database for material regarding good scientific practice on a european level. You can find general definitions, international guidelines, case studies as well as teaching materials. The “Embassy” maintains a database for international experts in the field of Research Integrity while also being open to be reworked and amended by all users with new material.

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2023)

In June 2023, ALLEA (ALL European Academies) published a revised edition of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity . To quote ALLEA, “the European research community as a framework for self-regulation across all scientific and scholarly disciplines and for all research settings”. As a member of ENRIO, the German Research Ombudsman (Ombudsman für die Wissenschaft) has played an active part in the revision of the first edition of the Code of Conduct. You can download the European Code of Conduct here.

Recommended Checklist for Research Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic for both existing and new research (UKRIO, 2020)

The checklist primarily addresses researchers, but also people working in related areas and the general public. The aim is to help researchers being mindful of what issues might affect the integrity of their research and to consider in advance how these problems might be mitigated. The starting point was the significant influence the pandemic has had on the way how research is designed, funded, conducted, managed, monitored and disseminated and its potential impact. The list covers, but is not limited to research on COVID-19 and related topics.

Die Checkliste kann hier heruntergeladen werden.

Praxisleitfaden für Integrität und Ethik in der Wissenschaft (2020)

Im Oktober 2020 ist der Österreichische Praxisleitfaden für Integrität und Ethik in der Wissenschaft erschienen, der von der Österreichischen Hochschulkonferenz herausgegeben wurde. Der Leitfaden wurde von einer Arbeitsgruppe erstellt, die ihre Arbeit im April 2018 aufgenommen hat, und richtet sich an Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler. Näheres zur Entstehung des Leitfadens und zur Arbeitsgruppe, die den Leitfaden erarbeitet hat, erfahren Sie in diesem Statement der Hochschulkonferenz.

Governance of Research Integrity: Options for a coordinated approach in Europe (2020)

Der von der “EMBO Science Policy Programme”-Gruppe erstellte Report “Governance of Research Integrity: Options for a coordinated approach in Europe” beschäftigt sich – auf praktischer Ebene – mit der Frage, wie ein europäische Beratungseinrichtung für Fragen guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis aussehen könnte. Der Bericht basiert auf einem Workshop, zu dem das EMBO im Januar 2019 zahlreiche internationale Expert*innen, darunter auch Prof. Stephan Rixen (Sprecher des Ombudsman für die Wissenschaft), einlud. Mehr zur Entstehung des Reports kann hier nachgelesen werden.

A Guide to Internet Research Ethics (The Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees, 2019)

The Norwegian National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH) revised their Guide on Internet Research Ethics in 2018. You can find the English version of the PDF, published in 2019, here.

Code of Ethics for Researchers (World Economic Forum, 2018)

The World Economic Forum Young Scientists Community, a group of young leading researchers, came together to identify and reflect on the cross-cutting ethical issues they are faced with, given the rising distrust that science faces today. The aim was to provide a code of ethics and conduct that is interdisciplinary and global in its perspective , that supports a positive change of culture in the research world, greater research outcomes benefiting society as a whole and to shape the respective behaviour of individuals as well as processes of scientific institutions. The universal WEF Code of Ethicsis the result of their deliberations whereby seven principles have been developed. 

The Code of Ethics Code of Ethics can be downloaded here.

Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2018)

In October 2018, the Netherlands CoC for Research Integrity was published. The Code is addressed to both institutions responsible for the investigation of research misconduct and researchers, especially researchers in early career stages. The Code of Conduct informs about standards of good scientific practice and presents Standard Operating Procedures in cases of suspected misconduct.

Survey “Research integrity in Norway” (2018)

In 2018, a survey on research integrity was conducted among researchers and scientists in Norway. Over 7300 questionnaires were evaluated. You can find a summary of the main findings as well as the complete report “Research integrity in Norway – results from a nationwide survey on research ethics” here.

UK Report “Research Integrity” (2018)

Since the Concordat to Support Research Integrity of 2012, universities in the UK are called upon to publish an annual report on research integrity and scientific misconduct. The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has now published a report “Research integrity” (2018) in which it analyzes the extent to which universities in the UK comply with the concordat. One of the key conclusions of the report is that it is unlikely that the announcement that there have not been any cases of scientific misconduct holds true. The report also contains a list of those universities in the UK that have already published their annual reports.

Particularly worthwhile mentioning is the comprehensive report of the University of Cambridge, which comprises anonymous accounts on the investigations of scientific misconduct that have been undertaken at the university. Further information and literature on the topic of research integrity in the UK can be found on the website of the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO).

The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2017)

In 2017, ALLEA (ALL European Academies) published the revised edition of the European Code of Conduct. As a member of ENRIO, the German Research Ombudsman (Ombudsman für die Wissenschaft) has played an active part in the revision of the first edition of the Code of Conduct.

You can download the European Code of Conduct here.

Report “Fostering Integrity in Research” (2017)

Here you can find a summary of the 2017 report.

The Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2017)

In Denmark, all cases of alleged scientific misconduct are, by law, handled by the Danish Committee on Research Misconduct, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. Therefore, the Danish system for investigating scientific misconduct differs fundamentally from the German system which is based on self-regulation. It is not possible to hand in an anonymous enquiry to the Danish Committee as all accused person by law have the right to know the name of the whistleblower.

Here, you find the Danish CoC for Research Integrity and further information on the Danish system.

Guidelines for Research Ethics (The Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees, 2016)

On the Website of the three Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees (NEM, NEMT and NESH), you can find guidelines regarding questions of research integrity in different areas of the scientific field: The Guidelines for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences, Humanities, Law and Theology, the Guidelines for Research Ethics in Science and Technology and the Guidelines for Research Ethics on Human Remains.

Authorship in scientific publications – Recommendations of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (2013)

The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences published a guideline on “Authorship in scientific publications – Analysis and recommendations” in 2013. The guideline sheds light on various aspects of authorship, including requirements for authorship, procedures for determining authorship and author’s responsibility. It focuses also on the relationship between authorship guidelines and the principles of scientific integrity.

Investigating Research Misconduct Allegations in International Collaborative Research Projects (OECD, 2009)

The OECD Global Science Forum published guidelines on how to handle alleged scientific misconduct in international collaborative research projects in 2009. Please find the guidelines here.

Procedure for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research (UKRIO, 2008) 

In 2008, the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) published a guideline on the procedure for the investigation of misconduct in research. On the UKRIO website, you can also find a variety of additional resources on questions of research integrity.

Best Practices for Ensuring Scientific Integrity and Preventing Misconduct (OECD, 2007)

In their 2007 report on Best Practices, the OECD Global Science Forum presents recommendations on how to handle scientific misconduct in international contexts, with an emphasis on the question of how to prevent misconduct. Please find the report here.

Photoby Heidi Sandstrom via Unsplash.