Research ethics in degree projects

On this page, you will find information about research ethics and ethical assessments in student projects at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, as well as important information about the considerations that need to be made in connection with your degree project.

Page content

What is research ethics?
Ethics checklist for degree projects
Some student projects require ethical review and approval
More information

What is research ethics?

Research ethics is about balancing the needs for knowledge in science and society and against individuals’ privacy, freedom, and other fundamental rights, such as the right to protection from risks and harm. Protection of individuals’ fundamental rights should always be prioritised over other interests and needs.

Questions you need to reflect on before your project are, for example:

What risks migh arise in the short- and long-term for those who participate in your degree project, and how can you work to minimise such risks?
Are you making adjustments to ensure that no one risks being harmed or experiencing other negative effects from their participation?
How do you ensure respect for individuals’ privacy, free will, and autonomy over data concerning themselves?
Is the information provided to potential participants clear and understandable?
Does everyone have the opportunity to give written consent to participate, and do they receive information about their right to withdraw at any time?
Are you reporting the results in a responsible, respectful, and confidential manner in the final thesis?

Ethical considerations are needed in all degree projects – both empirical and theoretical – at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. The completed thesis should include a dedicated section in which you describe these considerations. Read more about research ethics on the Swedish Ethical Review Authority’s website or, in more detail, in the Swedish Research Council’s publication Good Research Practice (2024).

Swedish Ethical Review Authority’s website External link.

Good Research Practice at the Swedish Research Council External link.

Ethics checklist for degree projects

Before you begin collecting data for a degree project, it is important to address certain basic research-ethical aspects. You are encouraged to review this checklist together with your supervisor. If any of the points are not met, it is likely that the project is not suitable for a degree project or that adjustments to the project plan are required.

Participants take part entirely voluntarily, have been provided clear information on what their participation entails and the project's aim. This understanding is documented in writing through written informed consent. The University provides a template for informed consent ensuring that all necessary information is included.
Participants are not at risk of negative impact, either psychological or physical. If risks exist, they must be negligible, and adjustments should be made to minimize them. No physical interventions are performed, and no biological material is handled, except in cases where well-defined and documented procedures exist within the relevant programme/school to ensure ethically acceptable practices with appropriate adaptations.
Participants do not belong to vulnerable groups (e.g., children under 15, refugees, individuals with disabilities, individuals in a dependent position to the student), except in cases where well-defined and documented procedures exist within the programme/academy to ensure ethically acceptable practices with appropriate adaptations.
Personal data collection follows the University’s routines and is reported to the University’s Data Protection Officer (read more about personal data processing on a separate page). The degree project does not collect more personal data than necessary. Sensitive personal data are not processed, except in cases where well-defined and documented routines exist to ensure ethically acceptable implementation.
Collected data are stored securely during the project (for example on a USB drive kept separate from any coding key) and destroyed after the work has been approved. If the data are part of a research project, special procedures apply.
Results are reported honestly and responsibly in the thesis, with respect for participants’ right to confidentiality.
Ethical considerations and any adjustments to the project are developed through discussion and reflection between the student and the supervisor/course coordinator, in accordance with the routines of the programme/school.

University template for information and consent in degree projects

Personal data in degree projects

Some student projects require ethical review and approval

Under Swedish law, studies involving people must undergo special protective measures to ensure respect for human dignity and individual integrity (see the Ethical Review Act, 2003). For student work at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the general principle is that students normally should not conduct studies that would have required ethical review if they were considered research (read more on the Swedish Ethical Review Authority’s website). This means that student projects should typically not include:

Sensitive personal data (regarding ethnicity, religion/beliefs, political opinions/trade union membership, health, disability, sexuality/sexual orientation) or data concerning crimes.
A clear risk of, or an explicit intention to, negatively affect participants physically or psychologically.
Physical interventions or biological material from humans.

If your project is part of an already ethically reviewed research project, you can be confident that the necessary approvals are in place. If this is the case, include the project name and the ethical approval’s case number in your thesis.

“Student exemption”

Under certain conditions, student projects that involve the points above can be carried out under the “student exemption”. Since work and studies conducted solely within a higher education programme at bachelor’s or master’s level are not considered research under the Ethical Review Act, the same requirements for ethical review do not apply. However, if the student exemption is to be used, there must be specific documentation within the programme or school. This documentation must show how it has been ensured– without ethical review – that the project can be conducted in accordance with fundamental research-ethical principles. Such documentation may, for example, consist of the assessment of an examinable course component.

Mandatory ethical review

If your degree project is going to be published in a scientific journal or presented at an academic conference, it is considered research, and an ethical approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority is required for it to include the aspects listed above. The same applies if your work overlaps with a research project or if there is an intention that it might lead into a research project later on.

As a student, you cannot submit an application to the Ethical Review Authority independently. Your supervisor may submit a request for an advisory opinion for a student project, but this must be done at least three months before the project is scheduled to begin, is costly, and requires substantial documentation. In practice, this is therefore rarely feasible.