[Handling of misconduct in Swedish research must be improved. More strict investigative procedures, tougher punishments and withdrawals are required].

Scientific misconduct constitutes a severe threat to research. Procedures to handle misconduct must therefore be both efficient and precise. In Sweden, suspected cases of misconduct are handled by the universities themselves. Investigations are generally performed by appointed scientists, leading to unnecessary discussions of the validity of the conclusions made. Sweden has a Central Ethical Review Board but this is infrequently used by the universities. It is an absolute requirement for a university to withdraw incorrect publications from the literature but regulations in this area are lacking in Sweden. The extraordinarily strong legal status of graduate students at Swedish universities leads to slow and costly investigations. Even when found to be guilty of misconduct, students are allowed to defend their PhD theses. In conclusion, there is a large potential for improvement of the regulations and routines for handling scientific misconduct in Sweden.