Ethical principles of education and processing of misconduct in studies

On this page you will find the ethical principles of education, which specify the general ethical principles of the University of Oulu. On the page you will also find code of conduct for the prevention and processing of misconduct in studies and reporting them.

Complying the Code of Ethical principals

We, university students, teaching and research staff and other staff, together we form a scientific community. We all are responsible for creating a learning and working environment that values trust and collaboration, in which the freedom of research and scientific values are respected and where students can grow into independent, critical, and tolerant actors.

As a scientific community, we are committed to complying with the guide The Finnish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and Procedures for Handling Alleged Violations of Research Integrity in Finland 2023 (PDF) (2023) by the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK) and the ethical principles of education and training.

Ethical principles of the University of Oulu

In its meeting on May 28, 2024, the board of directors of the University of Oulu has approved the university's Code of Conduct, a set of ethical principles, that guide staff and students. The University of Oulu’s ethical principles consist of our community’s expectations for ourselves and each other, as well as the activities and behaviour of each member of the community. Our operating principles are based on the university values and the guidelines and regulations set for the university's activities. The principles guide the university community towards responsible, respectful, and sustainable activities.

Read more on the Ethical principles page.

Ethical Principles of Education

The following paragraphs "Ethics of Studying" and "Ethics of Teaching" specify the general ethical principles of the University of Oulu in relation to education.

Ethics of Studying

In the beginning of our studies we become members of the scientific community. A healthy and functioning scientific community requires the commitment of each it’s member to adhere to common ethical principles. For us students, this means that

  • we do our best to learn and contribute to the learning of others,
  • we promote the criticality, truthfulness, communality, and impartiality of our scientific community in our studies,
  • we respect the work of others and the scientific community and we do not take into our own name the work or text of others,
  • we act honestly in exam and teaching situations,
  • we respect the work of teachers by actively participating in teaching, following the given instructions and providing proper feedback on teaching,
  • we take care of ourselves, encourage a friend and promote team spirit.

Ethics of Teaching

We, as members of the teaching and research staff, promote the learning of our students in an encouraging atmosphere. Therefore

  • we develop ourselves as a researcher and teacher,
  • we treat students equally and fairly and evaluate their learning in a proper and fair manner;
  • we acknowledge a student who, through his or her work, promotes their own and others' learning,
  • we instruct and guide a student to change the way of working if it interferes with the learning of others,
  • we commit to the principles of good scientific practice in our teaching and promote the learning of these skills among students,
  • we adequately address fraud,
  • respect the views of students and the relevant feedback they provide,
  • we do not seek to benefit from any input of student work
  • we take care of our own work ability and promote the well-being and team-spirit of our scientific community.

Code of conduct for the prevention and processing of misconduct in studies

According to the Regulations of the University of Oulu, students must comply with the teaching and studying instructions of the University of Oulu. The student has the responsibility to find out what type of conduct is desirable and what is regarded as fraudulent. The student’s duty is to familiarise him/herself in great detail with the guidelines :

If a student is uncertain of what is acceptable and what is fraudulent, he or she must obtain advice from the teacher or personal tutor.

Guidelines for students noticing misconduct in studies

If the student discovers or suspects that another student is guilty of misconduct in studies, he or she can report it to the person in charge of the course, the course teacher or the exam invigilator, or if the course teacher is not known, to the Education Dean of his or her faculty or a leading educational specialist. The report cannot be made anonymously, but will always be treated as confidential. The identity of the student making the report will not be known to the person who is the subject of the alleged misconduct. Anonymous reports will not be investigated. If necessary, further details will be requested from the student regarding the other student's alleged misconduct in studies.

Fill in the Alleged Misconduct in Studies Report Form below and send it by e-mail to the person in charge of the course.

University of Oulu ethics working group

The ethics working group’s tasks include, among other things, sparking discussion about the university’s values and ethical questions and finding ways of making these values visible in the university’s work. Read more.

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