We launched a new edition of LC-L1000 - Research Ethics for Doctoral Students, the mandatory research ethics course at Aalto University. This iteration runs from 23 February to 19 April 2026 and is delivered entirely online in a self-paced format, giving doctoral students flexibility to work through the material on their own schedule. The previous editions of the course had live lectures, interactive discussions, but also required mandatory presence tracking which, honestly, it is not really the best way of enjoying a course (both from the perspective of the learner and of the teacher). So with the amazing co-teachers Annukka Jyrämä (secretary of the research ethics committee at Aalto University) and Essi Viitanen (head of Aalto Open Science team) we embarked in a gigantic effort to turn all the lectures into a “mooc”. We can never thank enough all the guest speakers/lecturers we had: Anni Tuomela, Riina Subra, Hanna Renvall, Maaria Nordman, Anniina Harju, Maija Ojanen-Saloranta, Tuija Heikura, Eeva Savolainen, Sampo Kukkonen, Maria Rehbinder, and last but not least Arno Solin.
Course Structure
The course is organized into five thematic areas, each combining videos + slides from domain experts with a short quiz assignment:
1. Ethical Thinking An introduction to ethical reasoning in research contexts and a community-building activity to connect participants across disciplines.
2. Research Integrity Covers the core principles of research integrity, with dedicated modules on:
- Research integrity guidelines and practices (Essi Viitanen)
- Research integrity violation process (Anni Tuomela)
- Authorship and plagiarism (Essi Viitanen)
- Generative AI and research integrity (Enrico Glerean)
- Responsible research data management (Essi Viitanen)
- Freedom of research
3. Research Ethics Explores ethical review processes and discipline-specific ethics considerations:
- Research ethical review (Annukka Jyrämä)
- Medical ethics (Hanna Renvall)
- Ethical guidelines for Global South partnerships (Riina Subra)
- Environmental and nature-based research (Maaria Nordman)
- Animal studies pre-review
4. Partners & Funders Addresses the ethical and legal dimensions of research collaborations and publication:
- Corporate collaborations (Anniina Harju, Maija Ojanen-Saloranta)
- Research cooperation and funder requirements (Tuija Heikura)
- Predatory publishers (Eeva Savolainen)
5. Legal Compliance Provides practical guidance on key regulatory frameworks:
- GDPR and personal data (Anniina Harju)
- Export control, sanctions, and research security (Sampo Kukkonen)
- EU Artificial Intelligence Act guidance for researchers (Maria Rehbinder)
- Intellectual property rights (Maria Rehbinder)
Optional Field-Specific Modules Students can also complete optional assignments on topics relevant to their own research area, including cybersecurity and trusted research environments, responsible use of laboratory resources, artistic research, neuroimaging, and ethics in AI research.
Why Self-Paced?
Moving to a self-paced format means doctoral students across all Aalto schools can engage with the material when it fits their research schedule, rather than being tied to fixed seminar slots. The course still requires completing all assignments to pass, it is mandatory for doctoral students, but the flexibility hopefully respects the busy schedules of doctoral students, while raising awareness on these fundamental topics which will stay with them for all their career.
Future ideas
One ambition we have for the future is to turn this course into open learning materials, making the content freely available to researchers beyond Aalto. Research ethics is a topic that benefits everyone in academia, and an openly licensed version of the course could serve as a resource for doctoral programs elsewhere. I think our very practical approach complements other courses or books that are more abstract… but that is a project for another day, let’s see if we will find the time for it!