Code of good scientific practice
As a research center belonging to the Spanish National Research Council, the Instituto Cajal applies in the exercise of its research work the CSIC Code of Good Scientific Practice, which regulates the development of scientific activity in all its facets, guides the exercise of leadership, scientific collaborations and the process of creation, protection, evaluation and dissemination of the results of scientific work, in order to ensure the quality of research and prevent misconduct..
Who must comply with this code of conduct?
This code affects all research activity carried out at the Instituto Cajal. Its knowledge and application is mandatory for all research staff, including those in training and those who perform functions related to research, such as technical and support staff, as well as for staff outside the institution, including trainees or trainees who perform any type of scientific activity in the CSIC.
Rigor, integrity and scientific ethics
The fundamental purpose of the document is that the staff of the Cajal Institute maintains a responsible conduct in the exercise of their research activity, with a behavior based on scientific integrity, to ensure quality and rigor, compliance with applicable regulations and the analysis of all those issues that may have ethical implications. In fact, any research that raises ethical issues that must be taken into consideration, before it can begin, must have the favorable evaluation of the CSIC Ethics Committee..
Although the maintenance of ethical and consistent conduct as the core of scientific activity is the personal responsibility of each researcher, it is the responsibility of the scientific community as a whole, and of the Instituto Cajal as a research center, to promote and establish a culture of integrity, responsibility and ethics among the people who carry out any type of research activity in its laboratories.
Values of the research staff of the Cajal Institute
In order to guarantee integrity and good scientific practice, the activity of the research personnel of the Cajal Institute is based on a set of basic values, among which the following stand out:
Responsible and excellent research
The code addresses all aspects of scientific work, such as those affecting human and animal research, as well as the health and safety of the researchers themselves, the environment and the public as a whole..
The document places special emphasis on breaches of scientific integrity andmechanisms to ensure equal opportunities and to prevent scientific malpractice, especially those of greater gravity such as fabrication, falsification or plagiarism of research results.
Institutional commitment
The set of indications, recommendations and standards contained in the code represent a further step in the institution's commitment to achieve excellence in research, to promote open science, and to transfer scientific knowledge and its results to society..
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