International Resources

This section contains an annotated list of resources from governmental and non-governmental international bodies. Specific policies and recent reports issued by foreign organizations and governments can be found in the Policies, Codes, and Guidelines and Recent Literature sections respectively, while more general collections of resources can be found here, including such items as training modules, links, and past reports.

• Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (2006). “Code of Ethics for Researchers of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.” http://www.cas.cz/en/code_of_ethics.php. Valid link, Aug 2008.

• Australian Health Ethics Committee. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health_ethics/index.htm. Valid link, Aug 2008; last updated, 4 Apr 2007. AHEC advises the National Health and Medical Research Council on various issues, such as Human Research Ethics and Research Integrity. Each issue has its own sub-page that includes topical overviews, AHEC guidelines, and other resources.

• Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) (1984-2008).
  “List of CCAC Guidelines.” Valid link, July 2008. “CCAC Policy Statements.” Valid link, July 2008; last updated 10 Jul 2008.

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/2891.html. Valid link, Aug 2008; last updated, 25 Jul 2008. On this site, CIHR lists their own policies, links to ethics resources, and gives an overview of their own ethics initiatives. CIHR Ethics Office works on initiatives related to research integrity, like conflict of interest and Aboriginal human subject research participants. Resources on the site include tutorials, CIHR publications, and links to external sites. Included on the website is the Ethics section of the 2007-2008 CIHR Grant and Awards Guide. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/22630.html#1-B4. Valid link, July 2008; last updated, 14 Sep 2007.

• Center for Good Research Practice (Korea). http://www.grp.or.kr/index.jsp?m1=10&m2=1&m3=0. Valid link, July 2008. Supported by the Korean Research Foundation, the Center for Good Research Practice was launched in December 2007 though its English website was only posted very recently. The English content is limited but they have made available presentation slides that give an overview of the status of RCR education in Korea.

• CODEX: Rules and Guidelines for Research. http://www.codex.uu.se/codex_eng/codex/index.html. Valid link, Aug 2008; last updated, 1 Aug 2008. Compiled by the Swedish Research Council, CODEX is a collection of research ethics guidelines and other resources. Each topic features original summaries written by CODEX staff to provide background on current Swedish policies as well as a list of links to external sites.

• The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS). http://www.cioms.ch/ Valid link, Oct 2008.  On this site, CIOMS lists their publications, several of which are available for download.  They are divided into the following categories: Bioethics and Health Policy, and Drug Development and Use. Documents outline proper ethical behaviors in regards to research on human subjects, especially in cases where drugs are tested.  Included on the website is the 2002 version of International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects. http://www.cioms.ch/frame_guidelines_nov_2002.htm. 

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation).  http://www.dfg.de/en/ Valid link, Nov 2008.   DFG is the central, self-governing research funding organization that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany.  Included on their website is a document outlining proper conduct in science: Recommendations of the Commission on Professional Self Regulation in Science.

• European Science Foundation. http://www.esf.org/home.html. Valid link, Aug 2008. ESF’s site offers a wide array of content beyond just research integrity materials, but a search feature allows visitors to hone their browsing. In particular, the Publications section contains several relevant reports on topics like research sharing practices and peer review. Other useful sections include Activities and Media Centre.  A recent report details how European countries are safeguarding research integrity: “Stewards of Integrity: Institutional Approaches to Promote and Safeguard Good Research Practice in Europe.” http://www.esf.org/publications/corporate-publications.html Valid link, Nov 2008.

• Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics. http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/english/index.cfm Valid link, July 2008. The Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics (PRE) is a body of external experts established in November 2001 by three Canadian Research Agencies, CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC, to support the development and evolution of their joint research ethics policy, the “Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.” PRE’s website details their policy initiatives, past meeting highlights, lists upcoming events, and provides all their reports.

• International Council for Science (ICSU), Committee on Freedom and Responsibility in the Conduct of Science (CFRS). Valid Link, Oct 2008. This site describes the mission of CFRS. They have published a statement providing their recommendations on how to promote Research Integrity, entitled, “Statement on promoting the integrity of science and the scientific record.” Addtionally, they have released a booklet entitled "Freedom, Responsibility and the Universality of Science," which presents the responsibilities scientists have under the principle of the Universality of Science.

• International Research Ethics Network for South Africa. http://www.irensa.org/. Valid link, Aug 2008. Developed by the University of Cape Town, IRENSA aims to develop a research ethics conversation throughout South Africa, primarily by offering training and short courses. IRENSA’s site contains details about the training programs it offers and links to other international resources.

• Medical Research Council (UK). Publications in Ethics and Research. Valid link, Aug 2008. The Policy and Guidance section of this site includes reports, policies, and regulatory summaries devoted to “Ethics and Research Governance.” Topics include Good Research Practice and Consent to Take Part in Research.

• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan). http://www.mext.go.jp/english/kagaku/index.htm. Valid link, Aug 2008; last updated, May 2007. This is the site for the Science and Technology Bureau of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs. Visitors can find a list of news items, many of which are relevant to research integrity and scientific misconduct. Each news item contains an outline of the event, report, or article, followed by a link to the actual document, when available. Example items are “Report of the Special Committee on Research Misconduct” and “Japan-China-Korea Trilateral Meeting on Scientific Integrity.”

• Ministry of Education, National Advisory Board on Research Ethics (Finland). http://www.research.fi/en/viewpoints/research_ethics. Valid link, Aug 2008; last updated, 3 Mar 2006. The Research Ethics section of this larger site on Finnish Science and Technology gives an overview of the government structure for ethics oversight followed by two recent reports and various links to relevant national committees and ministries.

• National Committee for Research Ethics in Norway. http://www.etikkom.no/English. Valid link, Aug 2008. This site includes an extensive list of publications and historical background on the Committee’s role in various aspects of research ethics. Publications available include “2008 Guidelines for research ethics in science and technology” and “Research ethics guidelines for internet research.”

• National Council on Ethics in Human Research. http://www.ncehr-cnerh.org/english/links.phpValid link, July 2008; last update, 2005. NCEHR is a national [Canadian] organization mandated to advance the protection and well-being of human participants in research and to foster high ethical standards for the conduct of research involving humans. The site contains links and ways to get involved in the discussion about ethics in human research.

• National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, and Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (2007). National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/_files/e72.pdf. Valid link, Aug 2008.

• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Global Science Forum. Valid link, Oct 2008.  This site describes the OECD’s recommendations on scientific issues that require international collaboration.  Publications available include the "Report from the Workshop on Best Practices for Ensuring Scientific Integrity and Preventing Misconduct."  and the "Report of the Workshop on Best Practices in International Scientific Co-operation." Current work is being done on Facilitating Research Misconduct Investigations.

• The Reporting and Research Integrity Research Group (University of Bern). http://www.ispm.ch/index.php?id=1867. Valid link, Aug 2008. This site explains the mission of this particular Research Group and links to its current and past projects. Several of the projects focus on reporting trial data and other issues involved in peer review and biomedical publishing.

• Social and Human Sciences (SHS), UNESCO. www.unesco.org/shs Valid Oct, 2008. The SHS houses an Ethics Section which encompasses a Bioethics program (www.unesco.org/shs/bioethics), and an Ethics of Science and Technology Program (www.unesco.org/shs/est). These websites include background information on their scope, in addition to reports of previous meetings, and resolutions which have been passed. One such document includes the Seoul Forum on the Code of Ethics for Scientists and Engineers.

• Society of Research Administrators International. http://www.srainternational.org/sra03/index.cfm. Valid link, Aug 2008. SRA International has made its Code of Ethics available to the public, along with its Body of Knowledge. The Body of Knowledge, described as a “living library” of resources, includes information on research integrity, IRBs, and misconduct. The SRA also provides a Research Integrity Certificate Program. 

• Training and Resources in Research Ethics Evaluation for Africa. http://www.trree.org/site/en_home.phtml.Valid link, Aug 2008. TRREE focuses on issues related to human subjects research in Africa. A main component, e-learning, is still being constructed and is not yet available online. However, TRREE’s site does currently offer reports and resource links.

• UK Panel for Research Integrity in Health and Biomedical Sciences. http://www.ukrio.org/sites/ukrio2/about_us/index.cfm. Valid link, Aug 2008. The Panel has not yet made much of its work available online. However, its site does contain a Code of Practice for Research, a Procedure for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research, and details on some of its current projects.

• West African Bioethics. Valid link, Aug 2008. Although bioethics can encompass many different topics, this particular site’s content has a heavy emphasis on research integrity. Relevant resources include links to online courses, events, and projects sponsored both by the West African Bioethics Program and by external institutions and organizations.

Updated Monday, 24-Nov-2008 15:46:05 EST