What is research misconduct?

According to the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity(2023) and the Estonian Ethical Principles of Research with Human Participants(2023) [In Estonian], research misconduct refers to the fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism of research results.

• Fabrication means making up results and recording or reporting them as if they were real.
• Falsification involves manipulating research materials, equipment, images, or processes, as well as unjustifiably altering, omitting, or downgrading data or results.
• Plagiarism means using other people’s work or ideas without giving proper credit to the original source.

Depending on the circumstances, intentional and serious breaches of other principles of good research practice may also constitute research misconduct, including violating participants’ wishes, mistreating laboratory animals, or falsifying required research permits.

It is important to remember that honest mistakes or academic disagreements do not constitute research misconduct.

Who handles research misconduct cases in Estonia?

ETAG Committee for Handling Research Misconduct Cases

In 2026, the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) established a Committee for Handling Research Misconduct Cases, responsible for assessing potential breaches of research integrity.

The committee is intended primarily to provide secondary assessments of cases already reviewed within research institutions, but it also has the authority to conduct independent investigations if an institution is unable or unwilling to handle a case itself. The committee does not have the power to impose sanctions but may issue recommendations or, in severe cases, propose that the Ministry of Education and Research initiate supervisory proceedings.

The committee is established under § 27 of the Organisation of Research, Development and Innovation Act (TAIKS) and the Ministerial Regulation “Procedure for Establishing the Research Ethics Committee and the Committee for Handling Research Misconduct Cases and Issuing Assessments” [In Estonian].

The committee is composed of candidates nominated by research institutions and universities.

Institutional Committees for Handling Research Misconduct

In addition to ETAG’s committee, universities maintain their own committees tasked with investigating cases of suspected misconduct within their institution. Several universities also have advisers on good research practice, who provide confidential guidance on potential misconduct cases.

How to report research misconduct?

Possible misconduct can be reported to the Estonian Research Council in writing at: teaduseetika@etag.ee.
The same address may also be used to seek advice before submitting a formal report.

Confidentiality of the reporter is fully ensured.

Who can report suspected misconduct?

Anyone may report a possible case of research misconduct. Reports may be submitted by individuals (researchers, students, reviewers, journalists) as well as legal entities (research institutions, funders, publishers).

The committee may also consider anonymous reports, provided that the submitted materials contain sufficiently substantiated concerns and that launching a procedure is justified.

What should the report include?

The report should contain:

• a description of the case,
• references to relevant materials (e.g., publications, data),
• the reporter’s contact details if they wish to be informed about the progress of the procedure.

What happens after a report is submitted?

Once a report is received, the sufficiency of the information is evaluated to determine whether a procedure should be initiated. Additional information may be requested from the reporter if needed.

The case is then forwarded to the research institution where the alleged misconduct took place. After the institution has completed its proceedings, it informs ETAG of the outcome.

If the research institution does not initiate a procedure, ETAG’s Committee for Handling Research Misconduct Cases will begin investigating the case.

How to request a secondary assessment?

A second way to approach ETAG’s committee is to request a secondary assessment of a case already handled by a research institution. Any party involved in the case may request this, including the institution itself.

In such cases, the committee evaluates how the case was handled within the institution and whether the institution’s final decision and reasoning can be considered justified.