Objective To understand the current status and training needs of graduate nursing students’ knowledge，attitude/beliefs，and practice（KAP） in scientific research ethics. Methods Convenience sampling method was used to select master degree nursing students from four medical colleges and universities in Shandong Province as participants from March to April 2023. Questionnaire surveys were conducted using the General Information Questionnaire，the Scientific Research Ethics KAP Questionnaire，and the Research Ethics Training Needs Questionnaire. Results The total score on research ethics KAP of the 286 nursing graduates was（68.88 ± 8.39）. Differences were found in research ethics KAP scores among participants with different grades，first degrees，training modes，and whether or not they had received training in the review of medical research ethics（P<0.05）. Besides，94.4% of the master degree nursing students indicated the need for professional research ethics training. Conclusion The current status of research ethics knowledge and beliefs of 286 nursing graduates are favorable in general，with significant differences in the evaluation of research ethics KAP among participants with different characteristics. Meanwhile，they have a high demand for receiving training in professional research ethics. Colleges and universities should improve the science and technology ethics education curriculum system，strengthen the development of research ethics training and education，enhance the research ethics knowledge reserve of graduate nursing students to improve their research ethics literacy and ability.