Text (Instruction Step Text)
From The Embassy of Good Science
Describe the actions the user should take to experience the material (including preparation and follow up if any). Write in an active way.
- ⧼SA Foundation Data Type⧽: Text
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AI System Definition under the EU AI Act +
This section focuses on how research can be designed and conducted in in contexts where research activities may have environmental or climate relevance, particularly where activities are complex, uncertain, or potentially far-reaching in their effects. The expectations outlined in the EC’s Guidance Note on assessing and managing risks of environmental harm, such as avoiding unnecessary harm, considering less harmful alternatives, and ensuring that research topics, methods, and practices are not likely to generate significant harm are foundational to ethical research. Extending beyond harm avoidance, this section supports reflection on how research choices, methods, and assumptions interact with broader environmental and climate dynamics. It invites the reader to consider not only whether harm is likely to occur, but also how research practices may reinforce particular pathways, norms, or dependencies in contexts characterised by complexity and uncertainty. +
Engaging with citizen scientists: Integrating environmental and climate considerations into research practice +
This subsection highlights environmental and climate considerations relevant to ethics review, research governance, and data management in citizen science activities
'''1. Ethics review'''
Where required by national legislation, institutional policy, or disciplinary standards, citizen science projects or project proposals should be submitted to appropriate ethics review or oversight bodies, particularly when personal data, images, sensitive geodata, or information about individuals or communities are collected, or when participants may also be research subjects (for example, in surveys or interviews). Project teams should clearly explain the roles of citizen scientists (e.g. co-researchers, contributors), consent and withdrawal mechanisms (including for long-term platforms), and how vulnerable or marginalised groups, especially those disproportionately affected by environmental or climate impacts, will be protected. In contexts where formal ethics committees do not routinely review citizen science or non-biomedical research, researchers should seek alternative forms of ethical oversight and guidance, such as consultation with institutional ethics officers, data protection officers (DPOs), or equivalent advisory bodies. Such oversight should consider not only data protection and privacy obligations, but also environmental and climate ethics implications, including risks associated with sensitive information, ecological data, geolocation or community-level environmental knowledge. Project teams should ensure that submissions are supported by a FAIR2-aligned Data Management Plan (DMP) that is supplemented by explicit measures to identify and mitigate ethical risks, including risks associated with personal, environmental, or geospatial data (such as privacy concerns, sensitive ecological information, or harmful secondary uses).
'''2. Data management, terms and conditions, and open science'''
Prepare a Data Management Plan (DMP) that covers data types, quality control, storage, access rights, retention periods, and conditions for open or controlled access. Where relevant, address environmental and climate implications of data use, such as risks linked to sensitive ecological data, locations of endangered species, or information that could unintentionally increase environmental pressures.
Apply privacy-by-design principles in apps and platforms by working with anonymous data whenever possible, and, where this is not feasible, with pseudonymised data. Limit the collection of personal data to what is strictly necessary, clarify permissions, and make privacy settings simple and accessible. Where pseudonymisation is used, keep re identification keys separate and securely managed. For sensitive environmental or social data (such as locations of endangered species or informal settlements), consider additional protective measures, including spatial generalisation, restricted-access repositories, or delayed public release, to prevent unintended environmental or social harm.
Ensure that consent, privacy controls and terms of use are visible and understandable, shared with participants before they contribute, and consistent with the DMP and ethics approvals. When designing or using digital tools and platforms (for example, apps, sensors, online portals, AI-supported analysis), allow participants to view their data, change privacy settings and request data deletion. Allow participants to also assess and flag accessibility, potential biases and risks of reinforcing digital divides, and offer alternatives or support where possible.
'''3. Data ownership, traditional knowledge and benefit-sharing'''
Before data collection, clarify who will be considered the owner or custodian of different types of data (individual observations, community-level data, aggregated datasets, models, code) and project outputs, and how this will be reflected in licences, access conditions and acknowledgements. When working with local, Indigenous or traditional knowledge, recognise that this may be held collectively and governed by community norms. Some knowledge should not be made openly available, especially if disclosure could lead to environmental harm, resource extraction, over-exploitation, biopiracy or cultural harm. Discuss and document benefit sharing arrangements with relevant communities and partners, such as access to data and tools, capacity building, co-authorship or co-branding, or (where appropriate) participation in financial benefits from commercial uses of results. Information sheets, consent materials and terms and conditions should explain what claims researchers, institutions and third parties may make over data and knowledge, what claims citizen scientists and communities may retain, and how disputes will be handled (especially when data relate to land, natural resources or environmental stewardship).
Taking part in research: A guide for citizen scientists on environmental and climate considerations +
'''1. Voluntary participation and right to withdraw'''
Participation is entirely voluntary. You may decline to participate or withdraw at any time, without penalty. The project should tell you how to withdraw and what will happen to the data you have already contributed including community, environmental or climate related data.
'''2. Informed consent'''
Before you start, you should receive a clear explanation of the project and your role, information on possible environmental benefits and risks, and a consent form (paper or digital) in understandable language. You should confirm consent only if you feel you understand what is involved. In some projects, especially in health and life sciences, additional institutional or regulatory approvals and safety rules may apply. These should also be explained
'''3. Privacy and confidentiality'''
Privacy and confidentiality are especially important when research involves data that may indirectly reveal information about you, such as location data, observations linked to specific places, or contributions associated with identifiable individuals. This may be particularly relevant when datasets include sensitive environmental information (for example, endangered species locations, community sites, or places associated with participants).
'''4. Recognition and feedback'''
Your contribution should be acknowledged appropriately (for example in project reports, websites, or publications). You should be able to choose whether to be named or remain anonymous. The project should share results in accessible formats, such as summaries, visuals or public events, and explain how you and other participants contributed to the research (e.g., how your contributions helped advance environmental or climate understanding).
'''5. Involvement in decisions'''
Where suitable, you may be invited to help shape decisions about how data are collected and interpreted, how results are communicated, or how data are shared or reused. You are free to accept or decline these roles. Saying no should not affect your participation in the project.
'''6. Your knowledge, community data and benefit sharing'''
If you provide local, environmental, cultural or traditional ecological knowledge to the project team, you have the right to ask how this knowledge will be used, stored and shared, whether your community or group will be recognised as a custodian of this knowledge, and what benefits are planned for you and your community if the research leads to applications or products. You can decline to share knowledge that you or your community consider sensitive, sacred or vulnerable to misuse. Where knowledge is shared collectively, it may be important that consent and benefit-sharing are discussed at the community level, not only individually.
Towards an expanded scope of research ethics committees: Integrating environmental and climate ethics +
European and international research ethics frameworks increasingly recognise environmental protection and sustainability as integral components of responsible research conduct. This reflects a broader understanding that environmental degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss are not external to research ethics, but are closely connected to human well-being, societal resilience, and justice.
At the European level, the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity2 explicitly includes respect for the environment and ecosystems as part of responsible research practice across disciplines. Similarly, the revised Declaration of Helsinki (2024)3 introduces an explicit requirement for medical research to be designed and conducted in ways that avoid or minimise environmental harm and promote ecological sustainability. While the Declaration of Helsinki is specific to medical research, it reflects a wider normative shift that links environmental harm to ethical responsibilities such as assessment, responsibility, and justice. risk–benefit Within the EU research governance framework, this normative shift is further operationalised through Horizon Europe ethics requirements and the application of the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle. The forthcoming European Commission Guidance Note on assessing and managing risks of environmental harm in EU-funded research provides practical support for applicants, beneficiaries, and ethics evaluators in identifying, assessing, and mitigating environmental risks across the research lifecycle. By explicitly linking environmental harm to established ethical principles such as scientific quality, social value, justice, and proportionality, the Guidance Note confirms that environmental and climate considerations form part of ethical appraisal rather than a separate or optional concern. Taken together, these developments indicate that environmental and climate ethics are already embedded within the normative foundations of European and international research ethics. The challenge for ethics review is therefore not to introduce new ethical principles, but to support the consistent and proportionate integration of these existing expectations into ethics review practice, in ways that are feasible across diverse research contexts.
RE4GREEN (2025). Gap analysis of research ethics and integrity resources for R&I in general and new climate and environmental technologies in particular. Deliverable D1.3, RE4GREEN project, Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101131706.
ALLEA , All European Academies. (2023). The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity – Revised Edition 2023. ALLEA. '"`UNIQ--nowiki-0000003B-QINU`"'
World Medical Association. World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Participants. JAMA. 2025;333(1):71–74. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.21972
'''Card 1: Bioindicators of Environmental Change'''
* '''Front''': Can observing specific animal species, like dragonflies or marine intertidal organisms, help us understand water quality and climate change?
* '''Back''': Yes. These species act as bioindicators. By tracking their distribution and phenology (the timing of seasonal events), citizen scientists provide crucial data that reveals how local aquatic and marine ecosystems are shifting due to climate change and human impact
'''Card 2: Recognition and Authorship'''
* '''Front:''' Is a simple "thank you" in the acknowledgements sufficient for citizen scientists who provided the project's data?
* '''Back:''' While common in academic journals, Dave Wall argues that citizen scientists should ideally be included in the authorship list. He believes it is "their data" and researchers are simply the ones presenting it; therefore, proper acknowledgement is a matter of scientific integrity.
'''Card 3: The Power of Open-Access Data'''
* '''Front:''' Should citizen science data be restricted only to the primary research team or kept behind academic paywalls?
* '''Back:''' No. To maximize its value, citizen science data should be open access. Making validated datasets freely available online allows for broad collaborations with other research institutes, state agencies, and environmental managers who can reuse the data to protect ecosystems
'''Card 4: Expanding the Network'''
* '''Front:''' If your citizen science volunteers are mostly well-educated, retired individuals, should you change your recruitment strategy?
* '''Back:''' Yes. While these groups provide valuable data, there is a constant need to reach underrepresented groups, such as inner-city communities or youth who have fallen out of formal education. This ensures the research is inclusive and reflects a wider range of societal perspectives.
'''Card 5: Influencing Policy and Conservation'''
* '''Front:''' Is the ultimate goal of citizen science solely to raise public awareness and change individual behaviors?
* '''Back:''' No, though raising awareness is vital. The data collected by citizen scientists can directly influence public policy and conservation, such as being integrated into ecological sensitivity analyses to design and implement new Marine Protected Areas.
How to navigate this course? +
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'''Ethics guidance and regulations'''
A not-for-profit organisation, The '''Metaverse Standards Forum''' brings together most of the industrial players involved in the metaverse, with the aim of creating the conditions for its worldwide interoperability:https://metaverse-standards.org/
'''AI Act: the EU AI Act of April 2021''' included in its annex the following statement:
Annex III, article 1: “Biometric identification and categorization of natural persons: (a) AI systems intended to be used for the ‘real-time’ and ‘post’ remote biometric identification of natural persons;” This statement applies in part to XR, to the collection of biometric data during the user's real-time 3D experience. The January 2024 version of the same AI Act further emphasises risks related to biometric categorisation and emotion recognition, and is also relevant for XR. https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/
'''Council of the European Union,''' Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act) and amending certain Union legislative acts, paragraph 16, 2022: “AI systems deploy subliminal components such as audio, image, video stimuli that persons cannot perceive as those stimuli are beyond human perception or other subliminal techniques that subvert or impair person’s autonomy, decision-making or free choices in ways that people are not consciously aware of, or even if aware not able to control or resist, for example in cases of machine-brain interfaces or virtual reality.”
Basdevant, A, François, C, Ronfard, R. (2022) Mission exploratoire sur les métavers. Rapport interministériel. France. Available at:
[https://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/files/2022/Rapport-interministeriel-metavers.pdf https://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/files/2022/Rapport-interministeriel-] [https://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/files/2022/Rapport-interministeriel-metavers.pdf metavers.pdf]
IEEE SA - The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Extended Reality: https://standards.ieee.org/industry-connections/ethics-extended-reality/
INRIA’s Website: https://www.inria.fr/en/how-does-virtual-reality-works
Techethos website (page on Digital XR): https://www.techethos.eu/digital-extended-reality/
The Open AR Cloud Code of Conduct: https://www.openarcloud.org/documents/code-of-conduct
XR Safety Initiative (XRSI) ethical guidelines for developers, users, and organizations: https://xrsi.org/xrsi-code-of-conduct
Zhu, L (2022) The Metaverse: Concepts and Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service. Available at: https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R47224.pdf.
'''Videos'''
Kent Bye’s XR Ethics Manifesto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgY3YXxqJ8
Masterclass on XR in the classroom (Central Queensland University, Australia): [https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/masterclasses/extended-reality-xr-in-the-classroom https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/masterclasses/extended-] [https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/masterclasses/extended-reality-xr-in-the-classroom reality-xr-in-the-classroom]
'''Bibliography'''
Adomaitis, L., Grinbaum, A., Lenzi, D. (2022) Identification and Specification of Potential Ethical Issues and Impacts and Analysis of Ethical Issues. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7619852.
Aucouturier E, Grinbaum A (2023) Recommendations to address ethical challenges from research in new technologies. CEA - Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives. Available at: https://cea.hal.science/cea-04293426
Behr, K. M., Nosper, A., Klimmt, C., & Hartmann, T. (2005). Some practical considerations of ethical issues in VR research. Presence, 14(6), 668-676.
Fox, D., & Thornton, I. G. (2022). White Paper-The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Extended Reality (XR) Report--Extended Reality (XR) Ethics and Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Extended Reality (XR) Report--Extended Reality (XR) Ethics and Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, 1-25.
Grinbaum, A., & Adomaitis, L. (2022). Moral equivalence in the metaverse. NanoEthics, 16(3), 257-270.
Kröger, J. L., Lutz, O. H. M., & Müller, F. (2020). What does your gaze reveal about you? On the privacy implications of eye tracking. In IFIP International Summer School on Privacy and Identity Management (pp. 226-241). Springer, Cham.
In the context of uncertainty, researchers should review their study protocols regularly to ensure that new findings are taken into account as they emerge +
In this lecture, Olivier Le Gall examines open peer review, highlighting both its benefits and potential risks. The presentation starts by elucidating the rationale behind open peer review, and proceeds to discuss its benefits as well as the associated risks of opening it.
'''Watch the lecture and then answer the questions.'''
'''Further reading:'''
The Embassy of Good Science: “[[Theme:Ecc7ac02-6e53-4634-b053-91045c50390c|Open peer review - transparent way of gatekeeping science]]”
Schmidt, B., Ross-Hellauer, T., Edig, X. van, & Moylan, E. C. (2018). Ten considerations for open peer review (7:969). F1000Research. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.15334.1
Ross-Hellauer, T., & Horbach, S. P. J. M. (2024). Additional experiments required: A scoping review of recent evidence on key aspects of Open Peer Review. Research Evaluation, 33, rvae004. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvae004
Henriquez, T. (2023). Open peer review, pros and cons from the perspective of an early career researcher. mBio, 14(5), e01948-23. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01948-23 +
During pandemics, researchers may experience a heightened risk of hostility and related safety and security concerns. Research ethics committees should check that risk management plans are in place +
In this lecture, Elina Koivisto addresses the topics of open access, open access publishing, and predatory practices. The first segment of the lecture provides a definition of open access, showcases various types of open access, and elucidates their distinctions. The subsequent segment explores the advantages of open access as well as some negative consequences associated with publishing in general and open access publishing specifically. The concluding segment is dedicated to predatory practices;it defines these practices and offers guidance on how to avoid them.
'''Watch the lecture and then answer the questions.'''
'''Further reading:'''
The Embassy of Good Science: “[[Theme:49d71148-0df2-4a78-93d4-c802b48bbdb7|Predatory publishing]]”
Beall, J. (2015). Criteria for determining predatory open access publishers. https://beallslist.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/criteria-2015.pdf
COPE Council (2019). COPE Discussion Document: Predatory Publishing. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.3.6 +
It is vital that researchers uphold the highest standards of research integrity, even when under significant pressure, to ensure the reliability of pandemic research results and to maintain public trust in science +
Try to answer the questions about the case. +
In this lecture, Elina Koivisto elaborates on the application of Open Science principles in the assessment of research and researchers. The initial segment delineates the concepts of research and researcher assessment, as well as the contexts and circumstances in which these assessments are conducted. The subsequent segment addresses the notion of responsible researcher assessment, highlighting its significance. The concluding segment elucidates the incorporation of Open Science principles in research and researcher assessment, detailing their practical implications.
'''Watch the lecture and then answer the questions.'''
'''Further reading:'''
Hatch, A., & Curry, S. (2020). Changing how we evaluate research is difficult, but not impossible. eLife, 9, e58654. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.58654
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (European Commission), Cabello Valdes, C., Rentier, B., Kaunismaa, E., Metcalfe, J., Esposito, F., McAllister, D., Maas, K., Vandevelde, K., & O’Carroll, C. (2017). Evaluation of research careers fully acknowledging Open Science practices: Rewards, incentives and/or recognition for researchers practicing Open Science. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/75255
Provost, L., & Xenou, Z. (2025). Reframing Research Assessment: Towards a comprehensive framework for Researcher Profiles. fteval Journal for Research and Technology Policy Evaluation, 57, Article 57. https://doi.org/10.22163/fteval.2025.693
CoARA – Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://coara.eu/
Leiden manifesto for research Metrics. https://www.leidenmanifesto.org/
San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. https://sfdora.org/read/ +
Participants and research ethics committees should be promptly and fully informed about changes in the risks or burdens of participation in clinical research if new, relevant information becomes available during a trial. +
Existing regulatory requirements for the secondary use of personal data and biological materials must prevail during pandemics, unless an explicit exception has been enacted +
In this lecture, Theodora Konach discusses intellectual property rights and how to use them in a responsible way within the Open Science framework. The first segment provides a brief introduction to intellectual property rights. Further, the next segment discusses principles of copyright and some other related basic concepts. The third segment outlines relevant exceptions and limitations to copyright. Finally, the fourth segment focuses on the public domain and open source as a resource of creativity and knowledge.
'''Watch the lecture and then answer the questions.'''
'''Further reading:'''
Aligning Intellectual Property Rights with Open Science. https://allea.org/portfolio-item/aligning-intellectual-property-rights-with-open-science
European Commission: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, Your guide to IP and contracts – Stay ahead of the innovation game, Publications Office of the European Union, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/607724
European Commission: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Your guide to IP in Europe, Publications Office, 2019, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/94924
European Commission: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, European IP Helpdesk – Copyright, Publications Office of the European Union, 2021, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/128833
UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (2021) https://doi.org/10.54677/MNMH8546
Unitary Patent. https://www.epo.org/en/applying/european/unitary/unitary-patent
Creative Commons Certificate Resources, Course Content 2021 and 2022;https://certificates.creativecommons.org/about/certificate-resources-cc-by/
WIPO, (2016), Understanding Copyright and Related Rights, (2nd ed.) Geneva, https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_909_2016.pdf
European Commission: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, New Directive on Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market, Publications Office, 2019, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/429252
WIPO, Summary of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886). https://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/berne/summary_berne.html
The Europeana Public Domain Charter. https://pro.europeana.eu/post/the-europeana-public-domain-charter
Statement of Principles on Copyright Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives (2009). https://www.ifla.org/publications/statement-of-principles-on-copyright-exceptions-and-limitations-for-libraries-and-archives-2009/
Ethics and Intangible Cultural Heritage—UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. https://ich.unesco.org/en/ethics-and-ich-00866
Researchers should actively support rigorous, fast-track scientific review to help combat the erosion of good science during pandemics. They should also support quality control mechanisms for open communication channels such as pre-print servers or social media. +
In this lecture, Søren Holm examines the appropriate methods for crediting the various contributions made by researchers and other participants in Open Science projects. The first segment concentrates on authorship and contributorship, while the second segment addresses the proper acknowledgement of contributions made by citizen scientists.
'''Watch the lecture and then answer the questions.'''
'''Further reading:'''
[https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html#two ICMJE, Recommendations, Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors.]
[https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2024.2322557 Hosseini, M., Holcombe, A. O., Kovacs, M., Zwart, H., Katz, D. S., & Holmes, K. (2025). Group authorship, an excellent opportunity laced with ethical, legal and technical challenges. Accountability in Research, 32(5), 762–784].
[https://credit.niso.org/ CRediT]. (n.d.). CRediT.
[https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00097 Larivière, V., Pontille, D., & Sugimoto, C. R. (2021). Investigating the division of scientific labor using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT). Quantitative Science Studies, 2(1), 111–128]. +
