Study title

Research Integrity Barometer 2018

Dataset ID Number

FSD4077

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4077
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4077

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK
• Salminen, Ari (University of Vaasa)
• Pitkänen, Lotta (University of Vaasa)

Abstract

The Research Integrity Barometer 2018 surveys the views of the Finnish research community on research ethics, adherence to the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) guidelines, and ethical challenges and problematic situations related to research work in 2016-2018. The dataset examines ethical guidelines, practices, violations, and the values and operating culture of research work.

Respondents were asked about their organisation's commitment to the RCR guidelines, their familiarity with various research ethics guidelines, the visibility of research ethics support persons, and their participation in research ethics training. Violations of the RCR were explored by assessing the prevalence of different forms of unethical conduct within respondents' research communities over the past three years. These included, for example, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, falsification of results, and neglect related to authorship. In addition, respondents were asked about failures to obtain research permits or ethical review. They were also asked about their own experiences of being subjected to violations and how such cases had been handled within their organisations.

Ethical risks and threats to responsible conduct were examined through statements addressing issues such as lack of information on researchers' rights, ambiguities in the ownership of research data, consequences of suspected misconduct, career pressures, the influence of funding, and awareness of RCR processes. The values and ethical principles of research work were examined by asking respondents to identify the most important values, such as openness, honesty, reliability, independence, critical thinking, and societal impact. In addition, views on the ethical operating culture and leadership of the work community were surveyed.

Background variables in the dataset include the type of the respondent's organisation (university, university of applied sciences, or other research organisation), highest degree obtained, country where the degree was completed (classified), main work content (research, teaching, administration, or other), field of science, and years of research experience.

Keywords

ethics; ethics of science; research; research work; research workers; science; scientific research; values

Topic Classification

• Natural sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Engineering and technology (Fields of Science Classification)
• Medical and health sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Agriculture and forestry (Fields of Science Classification)
• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Humanities (Fields of Science Classification)
• Science and technology (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Salminen, Ari (University of Vaasa)
• Pitkänen, Lotta (University of Vaasa)
• Sairio, Anni (Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK)

Time Period Covered

2016 – 2018

Collection Dates

2019-01-09 – 2019-01-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Researchers, teachers, and administrative staff at Finnish universities, universities of applied sciences, and research institutes that have committed to the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) guidelines on the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct in Finland.

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability

The barometer was distributed as an electronic survey to all universities, universities of applied sciences, and research institutes in Finland on 9 January 2019. The survey was intended particularly for those working in teaching and research positions. The questionnaire was disseminated through the organisations' own internal communication channels. It was possible to respond to the questionnaire in Finnish, Swedish, or English. The response period was one month, and a reminder message concerning the survey was sent in mid-January.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Related Datasets

FSD4078 Research Integrity Barometer 2023

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researcher has removed the responses to open-ended questions K8, K10, K11muu, and K13 due to the risk of identification.

To prevent identification of respondents, information about where the respondent has completed their highest degree has been classified at the continent level at FSD. Finland has been retained as a separate category. For the same reason the variable tyonkuvamuu was removed.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK & Salminen, Ari (University of Vaasa) & Pitkänen, Lotta (University of Vaasa): Research Integrity Barometer 2018 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2026-05-21). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4077; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4077

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

TENK & Salminen, Ari & Pitkänen, Lotta (2019) Tutkimusyhteisöissä kaikki hyvin? Tutkimusetiikan barometri 2018. Tutkimuseettisen neuvottelukunnan julkaisuja 1/2019.

Related Publications

Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK (2024) Research integrity in the time of COVID-19: Finnish research integrity barometer 2023. Publications of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK 2/2024. Helsinki: Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK.

Forskningsetiska delegationen (TENK) (2024) Forskningsetik i coronatider: En sammanfattning av den forskningsetiska barometern 2023 i Finland. Forskningsetiska delegationens publikationer 3/2024. Helsingfors: Forskningsetiska delegationen.

TENK & Salminen, Ari & Pitkänen, Lotta (2019) Tutkimusyhteisöissä kaikki hyvin? Tutkimusetiikan barometri 2018. Tutkimuseettisen neuvottelukunnan julkaisuja 1/2019. https://www.tenk.fi/sites/tenk.fi/files/TENK_Tutkimusetiikan_barometri_2018.pdf

Tutkimuseettinen neuvottelukunta (TENK) (2024) Tutkimusetiikkaa koronan aikaan: Tutkimusetiikan barometri 2023. Tutkimuseettisen neuvottelukunnan julkaisuja 1/2024. Helsinki: Tutkimuseettinen neuvottelukunta.