Background: Medical research involving human subjects must be evaluated by a research ethics committee (REC) before a study is initiated. However, knowledge of REC decision processes, particularly in relation to evaluating the risk-benefit balance in various study types, appears scant. Methods: The study protocols and records of a Finnish…

The purpose of the present study was to investigate knowledge-creating agency by examining doctoral students' accounts of their pursuits, using structured interviews. We examined all of the talk apparently related to agency of 13 doctoral students taking part in collective doctoral training in two, highly regarded Finnish research communities…

In most countries, it is the state that has been taking over the support of universities and of teaching hospitals, a trend that has accelerated rapidly over the past 25 years to meet the expanding needs of higher education and of health care. In medicine the problem of university autonomy is further complicated by the long-standing custom that…