Guidelines and legislation relating to research documentation
The guidelines at KI are divided into one version for experimental research and one for clinical and epidemiological research. The guidelines describe how researchers at KI should plan, conduct and document research.
More detailed information, linked to KI's guidelines, are also available in the KI Handbook for research documentation.
Depending on the type of research conducted, there are different rules and laws to consider. Below are the most common examples, but in some cases other will be relevant as well.
- Personal Data Act (sv. Personuppgiftslagen)
- Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (sv. Offentlighets- och sekretesslagen)
- Biobank Act (sv. Biobankslagen)
- Ethical Review Act (sv. Etikprövningslagen)
- Animal Welfare Act (sv. Djurskyddslagen)
Additional information can be found at the Swedish Research Council's Codex page, where rules and guidelines for research are collected.
Good research practice
Research should be conducted in accordance with the general rules of good research practice, for example:
- Integrity - researchers should work with honesty and respect, and strive to eliminate fraud and misconduct.
- Transparency - research should be as open as possible (without violating individual privacy, intellectual property, laws and regulations).
- Policy and legislation - all researchers must be aware of the legal requirements for their research and the general rules and guidelines in their respective fields.
- Ownership and use - should be clarified from the beginning (especially important in collaborative projects), both for the project and for future research. Proper documentation of the research is important.
- Distribution and publication of results - not only in academia but also for the general public (the so-called "third mission", sv. Tredje uppgiften).
- Ethical practices in research involving humans and other animals - rules must be followed. This includes the necessary approvals of the relevant ethics committees prior to the start of the research project.