The pursuit of excellent research and the fulfilment of our responsibilities to participants in research, research users and the wider community require the maintenance of the highest standards of integrity.
You need to conduct research in a way which allows others to have trust and confidence in your methods and findings.
As set out in the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, you are expected to have:
- honesty in all aspects of research
- rigour, in line with prevailing disciplinary norms and standards
- transparent and open communication
- care and respect for all participants in and subjects of research
It’s important that you:
Maintain your awareness
Be proactive in understanding the standards that are expected of you and comply with them. Stay up to date.
Keep good records
Accurate research records help to demonstrate proper research practice.
Give credit where credit is due
Ensure fair and accurate referencing and authorship.
Be truthful and open
Declare conflicts of interest and be honest about mistakes.
Be aware of and avoid research misconduct
Deliberate breaches of research integrity may have the potential to be considered research misconduct.
Consider ethical issues
All researchers should consider ethical issues and act on any that are identified.
Why you need to conduct research with integrity
Trust in the reliability of published research is vital for the individual researcher and institutional reputations and the long-term health of academic research.
Funders, publishers, practitioners, other researchers and the public all need to be able to trust that the findings produced by University researchers have integrity – that they are presented honestly and openly, have been obtained through rigorous methods and in ways that respect and protect participants in research.
Loss of public and stakeholder trust has the potential to cause severe damage to research, which relies on public support and stakeholder involvement for funding, participant recruitment and impact.
Indeed, research integrity is a key component of high-quality research. Excellent research depends on the rigour and honesty of the processes from which it was created and the transparency and honesty with which they are presented.
Research misconduct
At its most serious, a lack of integrity in research can have significant impacts for individuals.
The University takes deliberate breaches of research integrity very seriously, which have the potential to be considered research misconduct.
The University’s Misconduct in Research policy sets out how the University will handle concerns regarding research misconduct
When to consider research integrity
The integrity of research needs to be considered throughout your research:
Planning of research
Rigorous methods adopted from the outset are likely to produce reliable results. Ensure that appropriate protections are put in place for research participants. Seek ethical approval where necessary.
Finding funding
Present your planned research and yourself in an honest and open manner. In particular refraining from overhyping the potential of a project, being open about risks and reporting your skills and qualifications honestly.
Carrying out research
Treat participants in and subjects of research with respect and care, mitigating risk where possible. Ensure that research is carried out in a rigorous and honest fashion.
Sharing and promoting your research
Present your work clearly and honestly. Work constructively with co-authors and ensure that contributions to a project are accurately recognised.
How to conduct research with integrity
- The University’s expectations for research integrity are set out in the Research Integrity Statement and Good Research Practice Guidelines.
- A checklist, based on the Good Research Practice Guidelines, which has been designed to assist supervisors of research student to incorporate research integrity education into the supervision process is also available.
- The University has also prepared more detailed guidance on some key research integrity issues and further information on research integrity can be obtained from the UK Research Integrity Office, to which the University is a subscriber.