Research & Art

How and when should you apply for ethical review of research

Familiarize yourself well in advance on the national guidelines and Aalto University practices
Paperi, jossa tekstiä ja osa tekstistä merkitty korostuskynällä.
Photo: Aino Huovio

The general principles of ethical review of research in Finland

Ethical review of research can only be carried out before data is collected. Hence an ethical review statement cannot be issued after the research has begun. Ethical review of research is a statement about the ethical acceptability of the research.

The researcher is always responsible for the ethical and moral solutions made in the research. Submitting the research for ethical review never transfers this responsibility to the ethics committee.

The researcher must be familiar with and comply with the data protection legislation in force and with the research-related data protection guidelines issued by Aalto University.

Theses supervisors are responsible for ensuring that their supervisees are familiar with the ethical principles, but the writer of the thesis is responsible for their work being ethical. If ethical review is necessary, the statement request shall be prepared jointly by the student and the supervisor.

Failure to apply for an ethical review , if it should have been applied for according to the national guidelines, constitutes an infringement of the responsible conduct of research (RCR). (see link below)

In addition to a favourable research ethics statement, you may need a research permit, for example from the research site or location (city, company, etc.) before you can start collecting data.

The researcher may request an official description of the guidelines and practices of Finland from the secretary of the Research Ethics Committee of Aalto University, if, for example, the publisher requests an ethical review of the research, where an ethical review was not necessary according to the national guidelines (an ex post statement).

Look up the following video on Ethical review in human sciences in Finland:

Ethical review in  the human sciences in Finland

 by Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK and Linda Saukko-Rauta/Redanredan Oy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Read more

The ethical principles of research with human participants and ethical review in the human sciences in Finland (tenk.fi)

Processing of personal data in research (aalto.en)

Responsible conduct of research (tenk.fi)

When do you need ethical review for your research?

You will get the best understanding of the national guidelines when you read the guidelines yourself, they are is clear and quick to read. (see link above)

If you answer “yes” to any of the following points, you need to apply for an ethical review. Keep in mind that the funder and / or publisher may also request an evaluation. The ethical review must be done BEFORE any collection of research data. Be sure to request ethical review well in advance of the planned start of the study

At what stage of research process do I need to apply for ethical review?

  1. When ethical review is necessary (see previous section), a request for an ethical statement should be made when the research has received funding or its implementation has been decided upon, and in any case before data collection.
  2. Be sure to request ethical review well in advance of the planned start of the study
  3. Ethical review cannot be done afterwards (ex post)!

How do I apply for ethical review of your research?

Next instruction on filling in the research ethics statement request e-form are presented. Look up instruction on the e-form as well, and do not hesitate to ask for help from the committee secretary. 

The Aalto University Research Ethics Committee meets once a month and statement requests must be in the e-system three (3) weeks before the meeting. You can find the exact schedule in the bottom section of the page.  

Research Ethics Committee

Research Ethics Statement request -form

Doing your thesis and ethical review - how to act?

Thesis supervisors, especially for doctoral and master's degrees, are responsible for ensuring that their supervisees become familiar with the ethical principles, but the author of the thesis is responsible for the ethics of his or her work. If ethical review is necessary, the student shall apply for it together with his / her supervisor.

You cannot access the e form with Student IDs. You can request a working version of the form as a Word document from the committee secretary, review the form with your supervisor, and seek advice from the committee secretary if necessary. Your supervisor must be marked on the form under (PI / supervisor) and the form will be entered into the system by your supervisor.

See also:

Thesis advising in Aalto University 

Recommendation of supervision of doctoral dissertation UNIFI and TENK 

If you do not agree with the statement received?

If the person who has requested an ethical review statement does not accept the proposed changes in the statement or the decision of the human sciences ethics committee, they may request a statement on the matter from TENK. The request for a statement, including the grounds for requesting a statement, must be submitted within two months of the ethics committee’s decision

 

 

I have received a research ethics statement, but my research plan or some other thing has changed - what to do?

Send by e-mail to the committee secretary 

  1. Information about the number and name of the ethical statement and when you received it
  2. What has changed, concisely and precisely
  3. Previous form where you have clearly marked the changes (pdf / link to the form in the system)

The chairman of the committee will assess whether the change requires a new statement request for the committee, a new evaluation by reviewers or whether the change is so small that it can be approved by a chair decision.

 

More information:

Secretary of the Research Ethics committee Senior Advisor Annukka Jyrämä, [email protected]

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