Abstract:

Introduction:
In 2017, a revision of the European Code of Conduct for Scientific Integrity was published, based on the objective set by the European Commission to ensure an awareness and incorporation of this integrity in the various Member States. Currently, in Portugal, the Ethics Committees integrated in Higher Education Institutions have increased their work index regarding the analysis of research projects, as well as their pedagogical intervention in the community, with active awareness of the minimum assumptions required in this area. The Ethics Committee of the Escola Superior de Saúde of Instituto Politécnico do Porto presents an experience of over a decade, with a clear increase in these two activity axes with a clear focus on the organization of clarification sessions for the studies submission, free of charge and open to the entire community of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto.

Objective:
To identify and systematise the gaps registered when analysing the processes submitted to this Ethics Committee.

Methodology:
Reporting on the last two years of activity, all members of the Ethics Committee of the Escola Superior de Saúde of Instituto Politécnico do Porto conducted a process of identification and systematisation of errors found, based on a grid divided into nine categories created for this study, which relate to issues of form and content.

Results:
According to the grid created for the identification and systematisation of the gaps of each item it was found that the most frequent errors occurred at the level of the items "data storage, treatment and disposal", "sample", "timeline" and "authorisations". The least problematic items include the "title, theoretical support, objectives and research team" and "instruments/ equipment/protocol". However, it should be noted that both errors of form and content have decreased over the years.

Conclusion:
The identification and systematisation of the most common errors underlying research processes should be a priority axis for the activity of an Ethics Committee integrated in a Higher Education Institution. Given its pedagogical profile, this action will only be integrated if the Ethics Committee assumes in its activity plan an active intervention of awareness, aiming at a continuous minimization of these errors.

Keywords:

Ethics Committee, High Education, Scientific Integrity, Ethical Issues.