New edition of the Swedish Research Council’s publication Good Research Practice

Good Research Practice 2024 provides orientation in the ethical principles and regulations that are important for research, and clarifies the responsibility that different actors have. It also provides guidance for reflection on ethics throughout the research process – from planning to implementation and publication.

“For researchers to comply with good research practice is central to research quality and its benefits to society and the world. The purpose of the publication is to promote an ethical approach and to contribute to increased knowledge and discussion about good research practice. The previous edition was our most downloaded publication, which shows that the demand for support and guidance on ethics issues is great, says Katarina Bjelke, Director General of the Swedish Research Council.

Since the previous edition of Good Research Practice was published, in 2017, a lot has happened in the ethics area. The ALLEA Codex was updated last year, and other regulatory frameworks have also changed, and new public agencies have been added.

The new edition covers all research fields, and has a clearer structure with direct questions to the reader. It also has examples for discussion, and includes a guide for ethics reflection in four steps. The publication is aimed at researchers at all stages, but also at research personnel and research principals.

“Readers cannot expect direct answers to specific ethics issues, but the publication provides support for finding an ethical approach to the questions raised by the research. It can advantageously be used as background documentation for discussions in research teams and at higher education institutions,” says Karolina Wallenborg Bjelic, senior research officer and ethics coordinator at the Swedish Research Council.

Good Research Practice 2024 was written by Jonas Åkerman, associate professor and coordinator of research ethics at Stockholm University and secretary of the expert team for ethics issues at the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions, together with the Swedish Research Council. Other actors linked to the research community and ethics have provided advice and viewpoints throughout the work.

Read Good Research Practice – new edition 2024 (in Swedish)

The new edition is being translated into English during the autumn.