Good Practice Guidelines

Research project requirements may differ among academic fields, but some common obligations cross discipline boundaries:

• Depending on the involvement of living study participants or sources, ethical considerations by an independent institutional committee for an objective review of the proposed research project are required (see Research Ethics Approval).
• Researchers involving human participants in their study need to respect their free will to do so, their privacy and the confidentiality of their data (see Informed Consent)
• Researchers need to reflect on their role and contribution to research, and be transparent about a conflict of interest at the start of new projects (see Conflict of Interest)
• A researcher can only use study material or tools licensed under copyright with the permission of the copyright owner (see Copyright).
• Strict University regulations stipulate how research data needs to be collected, stored and used (see Information Handing and Storage)

Other research performance-related obligations for consideration apply more specifically to health and medical research projects:

• Registration of research studies investigating the effect of interventions on human health is strongly recommended to enhance transparency and consistency in medical research reporting (see Clinical Trial Registration).
• Health and medical researchers are encouraged to consider feedback from patient and consumer groups, where applicable, to enhance possibilities for research outcomes to directly benefit the community (see Consumer and Community Involvement)