Research Integrity
Edinburgh Napier University is committed to providing an environment
that recognises and supports research excellence. Research should be conducted to the highest levels of integrity,
including appropriate research design and frameworks, to ensure that
findings are robust and defensible. Researchers should also adhere to
the highest level of research ethics, in line with requirements set out
by national and international regulatory bodies.
All staff and students should be familiar with the Universities
Policies and procedures that govern the research process.
In addition, the university expects researchers to observe the
standards and practice set out in any regulation and guidelines
published by funders and relevant professional bodies.
In keeping in with this commitment, Edinburgh Napier University operates a code
of practice. The Edinburgh Napier University Code of Practice on
Research Integrity defines the research principles and practices to
which all students and staff at the University must adhere.
The Code should be read by all University staff and registered
students who are conducting, or planning to conduct, research of any
type which must be appropriately governed. Ethical issues also come into
play wherever research involves human participants, personal data and
human tissue. The Code also applies to any research partners who may be
conducting research on Edinburgh Napier University premises.
Download and view:
UK Research Integrity Office
As part of our commitment to high standards of research integrity, Edinburgh Napier University has been a subscriber to the UK Research Integrity Office since 2019.
The UK Research Integrity Office is an independent advisory body, offering support to the public, researchers, and organisations to further good practice in research. A registered charity, it was created in response to longstanding and growing concerns about the reliability of research.
UKRIO is the UK’s most experienced research integrity organisation. Since 2006, it has provided independent and expert support across all disciplines of research, from the arts and humanities to the life sciences. It works to enhance good research practice, address mistakes, questionable practices and fraud, and improve the culture and systems of UK research.
For further information about the educational resources, guidance and events they offer, visit ukrio.org
Informed Consent
Prior to participating, an individual should be fully informed about all aspects of the research project that might influence their decision to participate. This information should be written in simple language that is easily comprehensible by any potential research participants. Participants should be given sufficient time to study any information and to ask questions from relevant parties as needed. A copy of the information should be provided for the participant to retain.
Below are two examples of generic forms for informed consent that illustrate the type of information often required (for
illustration only):
Futher exemplar documents can be found below:
Ethics in Research with Social Media
The number of researchers using social media in their research has increased greatly over recent years, and this brings a number of ethical challenges. Ethics in Research with Social Media: Guidance for Researchers aims to highlight some of the main ethical issues associated with social media research and provide suggestions for how these may be handled.