The Research Ethics Committee at Roskilde University

The Research Ethics Committee at Roskilde University has been set up by pro-Rector, by appointment from Rector, to deal with questions of good research practice. The four members of the Committee are appointed by Pro-Rector based on recommendation from the department council at each of the Universty´s four departments. The members are appointed for a 3-year period.

The duties of the The Research Ethics Committee are to:

Help clarify existing standards of good research practice,
Take steps to ensure a continuous discussion of the standards for good research practice,
Stay updated, continuously inform and advise on current as well as fundamental challenges of ethics and integrity in relation to conducting research (such as impartiality, plagiarism, co-authorship and academic integrity) and follow the national and international debate on these,
Present pro-Rector and the Academic Council to new initiatives and pose suggestions on new regulations and guidelines for good research practice,
Clarify processing competences in relation to processing of cases submitted to Roskilde University regarding research misconduct (handled by the Danish Board on Research Misconduct) and cases of questionable research practice (handled by the Research Ethics Committee at RUC),
Refer cases of research misconduct to the Danish Board on Research Misconduct and assist the Board's work in this regard, cf. the Act on Research Misconduct, etc.,
Process cases of questionable research practice and submit a recommendation to pro-Rector (see the Committee's guidelines for dealing with cases of suspected research misconduct and questionable research practice),
After delegation from the Pro-Rector to carry out research ethics approvals of experiments and research projects or parts of research projects, in cases where there are external requirements for research ethics approval from, for example, the grantor, publication channel or external partner.

The Committee aims to meet four times yearly.

The Research Ethics Committee´s Secretariat can be contacted at feu@ruc.dk.

Rules of procedure (2022)

Research misconduct and questionable research practice

Cf. 19.-(1) of Act no. 383 of 26 April 2017 on Research Misconduct, etc., the research institutions must deal with cases of questionable research practice.

The Research Ethics Committee is therefore also tasked with assessing and submitting a recommendation to the Pro-Rector in specific cases that relate to suspected cases of questionable research practice among RUC-researchers, but which are not so far-reaching that there it is a question of research misconduct.

The handling of cases concerning research misconduct falls, cf. section 4 in the Act of Research Misconduct, to the Danish Board on Research Misconduct, which is serviced by the Secretariat of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Previous decisions in cases of research misconduct and questionable research practice can be found on the Danish Board on Research Misconduct's own website.

In the Act on Research Misconduct, etc. the following definitions appear for both research misconduct and questionable research practice:

"3.-(1) For the purposes of this Act:
1. Research misconduct shall mean: Fabrication, falsification and plagiarism committed wilfully or with gross negligence when planning, performing or reporting on research
2. Fabrication shall mean: Undisclosed construction of data or substitution with fictitious data
3. Falsification shall mean: Manipulation of research material, equipment or processes as well as changing or omitting data or results, thus making the research misleading
4. Plagiarism shall mean: Appropriation of other people’s ideas, processes, results, texts or specific concepts without giving due credit
5. Questionable research practices shall mean: Violation of generally accepted standards for responsible research practices, including the standards in The Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and other applicable institutional, national and international practices and guidelines for research integrity."
Cases concerning research misconduct and questionable research practice can be raised by anyone who may have a reasonable suspicion of a breach of good scientific practice committed by a researcher who have carried out the research at Roskilde University. Cases can also be raised by persons against whom there is a suspicion of a breach of good scientific practice and whom the person wishes to have ones own case processed.

If you wish to bring a case to Roskilde University's Research Ethics Committee on suspicion of research misconduct or cases of questionable research practice among the university's researchers, the following form must be used: Report of suspected breach of good research practice at Roskilde University

If a researcher at Roskilde University wishes to try ones own case with the Research Ethics Committee, as a result of an external, but not yet filed, allegation of a breach of good scientific practice, please use this form: Request for preliminary examination of own case in regard to accusations regarding breach of good research practise for researchers at Roskilde University.

Reviews and requests filled in the above forms are sent to the Secretariat of the Research Ethics Committee at feu@ruc.dk.
The Research Ethics Committee at Roskilde University has developed the following guidelines for handling cases concerning research misconduct and questionable research practice.

The guidelines relate to procedures for handling cases of research misconduct, which are handled by the Danish Board on Research Misconduct after submission from Roskilde University, as well as cases of questionable research practice, which are handled at Roskilde University by the Research Ethics Committee.
The following rules, recommendations and guidelines are used as a basis for the Committee's assessments in cases of suspected questionable research practice:

Act no. 383 of 26 April 2017 on research misconduct, etc.

Roskilde University´s principles for good research practice (2023)

The Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2014)

Furthermore, rules, recommendations and any research ethics guidelines, etc. within specific research areas are utilized as required.

Rules, regulations and guidelines

Fundamental rules and regulations for good research practice at Roskilde University

All research at Roskilde University must live up to fundamental principles of research integrity and good scientific practice.

Good research practice requires scientific integrity. That is, no conduct is exhibited that can be characterized as ‘research misconduct’, as this concept is defined in the Act on Research Misconduct, etc. (383 of 26.04.2017).

In addition, research at Roskilde University must always be carried out in accordance with fundamental principles and standards for research integrity as stated in the Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2014).

Finally, research must comply with the university's own principles for good research practice (2023) and researchers must carry out their research with respect for the research area(s) in question, any research ethics guidelines and parallel and legally binding provisions that may affect research.

Other national and international recommendations and guidelines

In recent years, many national and international guidelines and recommendations have been developed aimed at promoting the integrity of research. The Research Ethics Committee encourages researchers at RUC to also be aware of the following in connection with their research work. Attention is drawn to the fact that the list is not exhaustive and that it is the researchers' own responsibility to ensure that they comply with current rules and guidelines within their specific subject area.

National regulations, guidelines and instructions

International guidelines and instructions