Research integrity counsellors started work at the University of Tartu | Ethics in Estonia

Contacts of UT units

Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Faculty phone: 
+372 737 5341
Faculty address: 
Jakobi 2, rooms 116–121, 51005 Tartu
  • Dean's Office
    Faculty phone: 
    + 372 737 5341
    Faculty address: 
    Jakobi 2, rooms 116–121, 51005 Tartu
  • Institute of History and Archaeology
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5651
    Faculty address: 
    Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu
  • Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5221
    Faculty address: 
    Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu
  • Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5314
    Faculty address: 
    Jakobi 2, rooms 309–352, 51005 Tartu
  • Institute of Cultural Research
    Faculty phone: 
    (+372) 737 5223
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 16, 51003 Tartu
  • School of Theology and Religious Studies
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5301
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18–310, 50090 Tartu
  • College of Foreign Languages and Cultures
    Faculty address: 
    J. Liivi 4, 50409, Tartu
  • Viljandi Culture Academy
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 435 5232
    Faculty address: 
    Posti 1, 71004 Viljandi
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty phone: 
+372 737 5957
Faculty address: 
Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu
  • Dean's Office
    Faculty phone: 
    + 372 737 5900
    Faculty address: 
    Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu
  • Institute of Education
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6440
    Faculty address: 
    Salme 1a–29, 50103 Tartu
  • Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5582
    Faculty address: 
    Lossi 36–301, 51003 Tartu
  • School of Economics and Business Administration
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6310
    Faculty address: 
    Narva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu
  • Institute of Psychology
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5902
    Faculty address: 
    Näituse 2, 50409 Tartu
  • School of Law
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5390
    Faculty address: 
    Näituse 20–324, 50409 Tartu
  • Institute of Social Studies
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5188
    Faculty address: 
    Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu
  • Narva College
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 740 1900
    Faculty address: 
    Raekoja plats 2, 20307 Narva
  • Pärnu College
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 445 0520
    Faculty address: 
    Ringi 35, 80012 Pärnu
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty phone: 
+372 737 5326
Faculty address: 
Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu
  • Dean's Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5326
    Faculty address: 
    Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 4210
    Faculty address: 
    Biomeedikum, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Pharmacy
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5286
    Faculty address: 
    Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Dentistry
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 731 9856
    Faculty address: 
    Puusepa 1a, 50406 Tartu
  • Institute of Clinical Medicine
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5323
    Faculty address: 
    L. Puusepa 8, 50406 Tartu
  • Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 4190
    Faculty address: 
    Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Sport Sciences and Physiotherapy
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5360
    Faculty address: 
    Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu
Faculty of Science and Technology
Faculty phone: 
+372 737 5820
Faculty address: 
Vanemuise 46–208, 51014 Tartu
  • Dean's Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5820
    Faculty address: 
    Vanemuise 46–208, 51003 Tartu
  • Institute of Computer Science
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5445
    Faculty address: 
    Narva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu
  • Estonian Marine Institute
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 671 8902
    Faculty address: 
    Mäealuse 14, 12618 Tallinn
  • Institute of Physics
    Faculty address: 
    W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Chemistry
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5261
    Faculty address: 
    Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Genomics
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 4000
    Faculty address: 
    Riia 23b, 51010 Tartu
  • Institute of Mathematics and Statistics
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5860
    Faculty address: 
    Narva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu
  • Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5027
    Faculty address: 
    Riia 23, 23b–134, 51010 Tartu
  • Tartu Observatory
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 4510
    Faculty address: 
    Observatooriumi 1, Tõravere, 61602 Tartumaa
  • Institute of Technology
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 4800
    Faculty address: 
    Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu
  • Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5835
    Faculty address: 
    Vanemuise 46, 51003 Tartu
Institutions
  • Library
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5702
    Faculty address: 
    W. Struve 1, 50091 Tartu
  • Youth Academy
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5581
    Faculty address: 
    Uppsala 10, 51003 Tartu
  • Museum
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5674
    Faculty address: 
    Lossi 25, 51003 Tartu
  • University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6076
    Faculty address: 
    Vanemuise 46, 51003 Tartu
Support Units
  • Administrative Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5606
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18a, 51005 Tartu
  • Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 4809
    Faculty address: 
    Narva mnt 18, 51009, Tartu
  • University Office in Tallinn
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6600
    Faculty address: 
    Teatri väljak 3, 10143 Tallinn
  • Estates Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5137
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18a, 51005 Tartu
  • Finance Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5125
    Faculty address: 
    Jakobi 4, 51005 Tartu
  • Grant Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6215
    Faculty address: 
    Raekoja plats 9, 51004 Tartu
  • Information Technology Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6000, IT-help: +372 737 5500
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18a, 51005 Tartu
  • Human Resources Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5145
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18, rooms 302 and 304, 50090 Tartu
  • Internal Audit Office
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18-244, 51005 Tartu
  • International Cooperation and Protocol Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6123
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18, rooms 104, 301, 305, 50090 Tartu
  • Marketing and Communication Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5687
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18, rooms 102, 104, 209, 210, 50090 Tartu
  • Office of Academic Affairs
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5620
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu
  • Procurement Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 6632
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18a, 51005 Tartu
  • Rector's Strategy Office
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5600
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu
  • Student Council
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18b, 51005 Tartu
  • University of Tartu Press
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5945
    Faculty address: 
    W. Struve 1, 50091 Tartu
Other Units
  • University of Tartu Academic Sports Club
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5371
    Faculty address: 
    Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu
  • Tartu Student Village
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 740 9959
    Faculty address: 
    Narva mnt 25, 51013 Tartu
  • Tartu Students’ Club
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 730 2400
    Faculty address: 
    Kalevi 24, 51010 Tartu
  • Tartu University Hospital
    Faculty address: 
    L. Puusepa 1a, 50406 Tartu
  • University of Tartu Foundation
    Faculty phone: 
    +372 737 5852
    Faculty address: 
    Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu
  • View all other units

Research integrity counsellors started work at the University of Tartu

At the beginning of April, research integrity counsellors started work at each faculty of the University of Tartu. They offer advice and support for university members who have questions about adhering to the principles of research integrity or suspect that research integrity has been violated.

At the beginning of the year, the University of Tartu senate approved the Instructions for applying the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, according to which each faculty of the university has at least one research integrity counsellor. The counsellors are appointed by the deans of the faculties and their immediate supervisor is the head of the Centre for Ethics. Such an organisation of work ensures the independence of the faculty’s research integrity counsellor and fosters cooperation with the counsellors of other faculties as well as with the Centre for Ethics.

The Instructions for applying the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity state that “the research integrity counsellor must be an academically recognised researcher competent in research ethics”. Research integrity counsellors of the UT are: Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy Kadri Simm in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology Kairi Kreegipuu in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Visiting Associate Professor of the Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine Andres Soosaar in the Faculty of Medicine, and Associate Professor in Mathematical Finance Raul Kangro in the Faculty of Science and Technology.

Counsellors help bring clarity

Research integrity counsellors are available for all university members and can be approached with different questions on research ethics. In the research integrity counsellor, university members can find a reliable partner who gives advice and help in various questions.

The counsellors are the first point of contact in their faculty in questions regarding a person’s own research as well as suspicions of violation of research integrity. The counsellors do not solve the cases themselves but help to understand whether the suspicion is founded and give advice on the actions to take in case of suspicion. If necessary, the research integrity counsellor helps to compile a complaint or advises the person to contact the Human Resources Office or the academic secretary, for instance.

Broad-based support material

In November 2017, the Estonian R&D institutions and financers of research signed the Estonian Code of Conduct for Research Integrity Agreement, promising to observe the Estonian Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. The task of creating detailed procedural rules for the application of the code of conduct lies with each research institution. The University of Tartu was among the first to arrive at approving the instructions for application after two years.

The Instructions for applying the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity prepared by the University of Tartu Centre for Ethics helps to prevent and solve cases of misconduct. The instructions are broad-based; over two years, representatives of all faculties were involved in its preparation.

“With the Instructions for applying the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the University of Tartu aims to offer sufficient training and courses and provide counselling if the university members have questions concerning research ethics,” said Head of the Centre for Ethics Professor Margit Sutrop, who led the preparation of the document. She adds that the instructions also address work environment and the fair procedure of dealing with suspicions and complaints.

Academic Secretary of the University of Tartu Tõnis Karki says that first and foremost, the instructions help to understand how to conduct good research, whom to turn to for advice and how to voice your training needs and requests. “The first aim of the University of Tartu is to prevent violations of research integrity by sufficient training and counselling, but also to offer a clear, transparent and fair procedure for dealing with cases of violation, if necessary,” Karki explained.

Several ways to address cases

The Instructions for applying the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity provides that the academic secretary deals with suspicions of violations. Karki emphasises that the implemented system of processing has several levels: “If you suspect that research integrity has been violated, it is advisable first to turn to the research integrity counsellor. There is one in each faculty. After this, it is possible to assess whether the suspected violation should be processed by the academic secretary or an impartial commission that is currently being formed for this purpose.

Currently, all counsellors answer the questions of university members by e-mail. There is a plan to establish regular counselling and meeting times after the end of the emergency situation. The Instructions for applying the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the introduction of the counsellors and guidelines for contacting them are available on the university’s web page.

Further information:  Margit Sutrop, Head of UT Centre for Ethics,  +372 520 7183,  margit.sutrop [ät] ut.ee

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