Research Ethics
October, 2025
By Fabian Käser
Research Ethics evaluate research processes in relation to norms or moral principles. Research Ethics safeguard the well-being and rights of individuals involved in research and they ensure scientific integrity. Broadening the focus, Research Ethics also encompass the well-being of communities, animals and the planet. Research Ethics with regard to scientific integrity include accountability, authorship, and conflict of interest. Thereby Research Ethics are guided by the different norms, such as respect for life, doing no-harm or doing good, or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They include not only the process of research but also the use and potential misuse of research data and discoveries. The Guide for Global Research Partnerships supports you in addressing various issues related to Research Ethics.
Most universities have a research ethics board that oversees compliance with ethical standards and approve research activities. Contact the research ethics board at your universities for further information on codes of conduct and review processes.
Ethics dumping refers to research processes that ignore basic ethical standards and the export of unethical research processes to lower income countries. Risk dumping refers to disproportional exposure of local and young researchers to physical and emotional risks associated with data collection. Helicopter Research describes extractive research approaches that are unethical.