Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee is part of USI'scommissions. It comprises of at least three members nominated by the Academic Senate. One of the three members chairs the Committee.

The Ethics Committee has the purpose of raising awareness of ethical principles in the community and putting them into practice.

The Ethics Committee:

• is in charge of examining and approving under an ethical point of view certain research projects and scientific publications
• and is responsible for all reports concerning suspected cases of plagiarism or any other scientific misconduct by faculty and academic staff (professors, researchers and lecturers).

Assistance is provided by elected Professors (one per each Faculty) appointed by the respective Faculty Council. The Ethics Committee can also rely on external experts. 

Ethics review of projects and publications

The Ethics Committee is in charge of examining and approving, under an ethical point of view, all research projects and scientific publications that do not fall under the Cantonal Ethics Committee responsibilities. The Committee review of projects and publications follows all national and international requirements in the field of scientific research (cf. ASS - Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences Guidelines on scientific Scientific Integrity) and the relevant documentation for European Projects. 

Applications for review must be sent electronically via e-mail to [email protected] and [email protected].

All applications should be written in Italian (or possibly in another Swiss official language, or in English), and handed in with all necessary information for a complete ethics examination (project summary, informed consent forms, draft of questionnaires, …).

Suspected cases of plagiarism or any other scientific misconduct

The Ethics Committee is responsible for all reports concerning suspected cases of plagiarism or any other scientific misconduct by faculty and academic staff. Misconduct in science occurs for example when an employee forges, conceals or makes up research data, or claims a right as co-author of a publication without providing any essential contribution. It also occurs with the wrongful appropriation of someone else's words, ideas, researches or scientific discoveries (plagiarism).

In this regard, the art. 25 of the Regulations on general working conditions for academic staff at the Università della Svizzera italiana requires the employee to personally perform the work assigned with due care in order to loyally protect the university's legitimate interests. Specifically, the employee has to follow the highest ethical standards while selecting and adopting research methodologies, as well as circulating and using results. He is asked to acknowledge in the form of quotation any intellectual debt of any third party contribution. Conflict of interest should be avoided in all cases, while carrying out teaching and research activities.

Each collaborator has the duty to report to the Ethics Committee every alleged case of plagiarism or other known misconduct. Confidentiality on the plaintiff identity is guaranteed.

In respect of such confidentiality, the Ethics Committee will handle all internal requests and notify the University Council regarding any action to be taken against the collaborator. The University Council may reprimand, suspend or, in severe cases including plagiarism, fire the employee, ordering to withdraw the publication made available to the public as a result of the misconduct.

To report a suspected case of plagiarism or any other scientific misconduct, please contact [email protected].

Current members

The Ethics Committee is currently composed as follows:

Assistance for research projects is provided by the following delegates of USI's faculty:

• Academy of Architecture:
  Prof. Christoph Frank
• Faculty of Biomedical Sciences:
  n. n.
• Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society:
  Prof. Fabio Pusterla
  Prof. Annegret Hannawa
• Faculty of Economics:
  Prof. Antonietta Mira
• Faculty of Informatics:
  Prof. Silvia Santini

For general information and enquiries: [email protected]