| Open Science Contributes to Research Integrity
| Ethics' commissions at UNIL
| Intégrité scientifique et gestion des données
| Guide for the Social Sciences
Responsible research conduct consists in observing the rules of good practice while respecting scientific integrity.
At UNIL, the Rectorate's guidelines relating in particular to integrity in research (directive 4.2) apply to all research activities carried out within the framework of the University and to all researchers working there who are administratively dependent on the University's Human Resources.
They have five objectives :
In its report Best Practices for Ensuring Scientific Integrity and Preventing Misconduct published in 2008, the OECD highlights six aspects of misconduct in scientific research :
According to the report Research Integrity through Open Science and FAIR Data released in March 2019, the first four categories of misconduct can be addressed through changes in research practices and the implementation of the FAIR principles and Open Science principles (openness, transparency, accessibility, accountability, verification, replicability, etc.).
This link between open science and integrity is a new opportunity to encourage researchers to strengthen their practices in relation to Open Science.
Since autumn 2019, Faculty Research Ethics Committees have been gradually being set up to assess the ethical aspects of the research projects submitted to them. These commissions issue certificates of ethical compliance. They only deal with projects that do not fall under the LRH. UNIL researchers may, if they so wish or if the funding or publication authorities so require, submit their project to research ethics committees via an electronic platform.
CER-UNIL, Unil's University Commission on Research Ethics, oversees the system at the central level. It deals with projects requiring institutional validation. It is requested when the research object includes human beings and the latter does not fall within the competence of the Cantonal Commission on Research Ethics (CER-VD).
This commission provides training and support for researchers and students and works in collaboration with the new Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Ethics (CIRE) launched by the Directorate and located in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies.
Download the CER-UNIL regulations
Download the CER-UNIL presentation available in the Uniscope of November 2019 (no. 648)
For more information, please contact Pablo Diaz.
Besides the central commission (CER-UNIL), the University of Lausanne has seven faculty commissions. Each committee decides on its mode of operation, its composition and is subject to specific regulations.
For information on their regulations and compositions, please consult the dedicated pages on the CER-UNIL website.
Le Code d'intégrité scientifique (2021) des Académies suisses des sciences précise :
a) Mise en oeuvre des principes fondamentaux – 4.5 Gestion des données (p. 20)
b) Violation de l'intégrité scientifique – 5.2.7 Gestion incorrecte des données et matériels
"Un comportement scientifique incorrect lié à la gestion des données ou des matériels existe notamment dans les cas suivants :
To help you understand the ethical issues related to Open research Data, FORS, the Swiss Competence Centre for Social Sciences, has developed a guide entitled : Ethics in the era of open research data : some points of reference - january 2019.
The UNIL Research Ethics Commission (CER-UNIL) acts as a complement to the Cantonal Research Ethics Commission (CER-VD) in the evaluation of research projects involving human participants outside the CER-VD's fields of competence.
More information on the CER-UNIL.
The Cantonal Commission on Ethics in Human Research (CER-VD) is a cantonal administrative authority established by the Human Research Act (LHR). It ensures the protection of research subjects and assesses the compliance of human research projects with ethical, legal and scientific requirements, as well as good research practices.
More information on the CER-VD website.
Swissethics is a working community of the Swiss ethics commissions for human research, which have been brought together in an association of public utility.
More information on the Swissethics website.
Pour vous aider dans la compréhension des enjeux éthiques en lien avec l'Open research Data, FORS, le Centre de compétences suisse en sciences sociales, a élaboré un guide intitulé : Ethics in the era of open research data: some points of reference - january 2019.