Research Ethics Spring term 2026

Welcome to apply to the Spring term 2026.

Each course is equivalent to one week of work, 1.5 ECTS credits. This includes preparation and examination.

But importantly! Teaching is concentrated to one mandatory two-hour seminar per course, conducted digitally.

Teaching will be in English, but examinations may be written in English or Swedish.

Please note that module 1: Introduction is a prerequisite for modules 2–5, and module 3 for module 5.

The whole package is available at least once per academic year, or more often, depending on demand.

All instruction online, the schedule for all courses can be found here.

Apply for the courses below, clicking on the ’Apply here’ button.

For further information, please contact us at forskningsetik@philosophy.su.se

Ethical problems involve conflicts of interest. In research ethics such conflicts are usually between, on the one hand, the scientific interest in generating new knowledge, and, on the other hand, different personal and social interests that are affected by the research process or its results. This course gives an overview of ethical conflicts that researchers need to be aware of and be prepared to handle in their work. It introduces some conceptual and theoretical tools from philosophical ethics, for example regarding the valuation of consequences of actions, regarding rights and duties, and ethical comportment. It also gives a short overview of relevant rules and regulations.

Completion of this module is a prerequisite for the following courses.

Mandatory seminar: Spring 2026: Monday 2026-01-19, 15-17h

Course credits: 1.5 ECTS

Teachers: Håkan Salwén & Cyril Holm

Venue: Zoom

Readings: Shamoo, Adil E. & Resnik, David B. (2022). Responsible conduct of research. 4. ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Skloot, R (2010). Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown Publ.

Syllabus pdf, 222.7 kB. (222 Kb)

Questions about scientific misconduct concern situations where researchers are tempted to put their personal, economic or career interest before the interests of science and the scientific community. An important area regards plagiarism and stealing ideas, results or data from other researchers. There are many clear cases of plagiarism, but also borderline cases where conceptual clarity and a reflective attitude concerning good practice is important. These questions are related to a set of issues around publication ethics, which also raises the problem of "self plagiarism." Other kinds of misconduct concern the handling of research data, from fabrication and forgery to misleading presentation of data, and deficient the preservation and accessibility of data to control and further research. The relevant problems are treated in connection with real examples and problematic situations from the participants own experience.

Mandatory seminar: Spring 2026: Monday 2026-02-16, 15-17h

Course credits: 1.5 ECTS

Teachers: Antoinette Scherz & Tom Britton

Venue: Zoom

Readings: Shamoo, Adil E. & Resnik, David B. (2015). Responsible conduct of research. 3. ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Hansson, S-O (2011). “Do we Need a Special Ethics for Research?” . Science and Engineering Ethics 17, pp. 21-29.

Syllabus pdf, 224.1 kB. (224 Kb)

Much research in the human sciences involves participants from outside of the scientific community, for example giving information through surveys or interviews, or by taking part as subjects in experiments. Research must be planned and conducted with respect for the safety and personal integrity of such persons. A growing new field which raises these questions is research on the internet and on social media. A key concept in this connection is "consent" and the form in which consent can be sought and given in different contexts. Another related problem complex concerns research on vulnerable or discriminated groups, that may be negatively affected by the research process or its results.

Mandatory seminar: Spring 2026: Monday 2026-03-23, 15-17h

Course credits: 1.5 ECTS

Teacher: Greg Bognar

Venue: Zoom

Readings: Franklin Miller and Alan Wertheimer (eds.), The Ethics of Consent: Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press, 2010.

Syllabus pdf, 225.7 kB. (225 Kb)

Ethical considerations in research presuppose that other interests are balanced against the scientific value of the research and its expected results. But what is worth knowing and why? How can one balance the priorities that are made within a scientific discipline against the needs and wishes of society at large? Does the scientific community have a responsibility for the knowledge culture of society as a whole, and does this have any implications for the conduct of individual researchers? Under what circumstances should the researcher take up the role as expert and how should one behave in that role?

Mandatory seminar: Spring 2026: Monday 2026-04-20, 15-17h

Course credits: 1.5 ECTS

Teacher: Erik Angner

Venue: Zoom

Readings:

Douglas, Heather. 2016. ”Values in Science,” in The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Science, ed. by Paul Humphries (Oxford: Oxford University Press), pp. 609–30.

Elliott, Kevin C. 2017. A Tapestry of Values: An Introduction to Values in Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Syllabus pdf, 224.3 kB. (224 Kb)

This course is aimed at practical questions regarding ethical vetting, with direct relevance for the research projects of participants. What projects must be, or should be, formally vetted? How does one write an application and how is it assessed? The course involves teachers with experience from both sides of the process - to apply for and receive approval, and to assess applications. Participants will have the opportunity to work on their own projects: do they need ethical vetting and how should the application be formulated?

Mandatory seminar: Spring 2026: Monday 2026-05-18, 15-17h

Completion of courses 1 and 3 is required for this course.

Course credits: 1.5 ECTS

Teachers: Petra Lindfors and Erik Angner

Venue: Zoom

Syllabus pdf, 223.6 kB. (223 Kb)

Senast uppdaterad: 2026-01-09

Sidansvarig: Department of Philosophy

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