Research Integrity and Misconduct

Supporting Research Integrity

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is committed to the values expressed in its General Principles on the Ethical Conduct of Research and Scholarship to guide the research and scholarly activities of its students, staff, and faculty. All institutional members are expected to conduct research and scholarship to the highest level of integrity. Individuals in leadership or supervisory positions have a special obligation to foster integrity in their relationships and in their work. 

As described in the Policy on Integrity in Research and Scholarly Activities, integrity means the conduct of research and scholarly activities in an honest and professional manner. Practicing integrity includes, but is not limited to:

• Employing appropriate methods, statistical approaches, and any other analytical techniques for the research or scholarly question.
• Basing the conclusions on critical objective analysis of data.
• Managing conflicts of commitment and interest.
• Designing research to be replicable, when possible.
• Promoting open access and sharing data as specified in system, sponsor, and publisher policies, or standard practices in the field.
• Promoting intellectual and professional growth of mentees and adherence to the mutual responsibilities of mentors and trainees.
• Protecting research subjects.
• Managing the appropriate use of research materials.
• Maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for research and scholarly activities.
• Conducting peer review in an unbiased, transparent, and confidential manner.
• Reporting accurate and honest credentials and related information.
• Attributing authorship based on appropriate authorship criteria.
• Attributing credit for work and ideas through proper acknowledgement and citation.
• Respecting the ethical obligations regarding the societal impacts of research.
• Ensuring appropriate use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
• Complying with research or scholarly activities regulation and guidelines.

Addressing Concerns of Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activities

The University defines Research Misconduct in its Policy and the process for addressing related allegations are described in the Procedures for Adjudicating Complaints of Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activities. Concerns and Allegations may be directed to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO), the Unit Executive Officer, or the University Ethics and Compliance Office. Some integrity concerns fall outside the University’s definition of Research Misconduct in the University’s Policy, including disagreements of authorship and attribution. Such concerns can and should be handled at the organizational level closest to the individuals involved. The RIO can provide guidance regarding the appropriate means to address concerns of integrity.

Policy and Procedures - Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activities

Additional Resources for RCR Training

The sites listed below provide resources to help principal investigators fulfill their obligation to provide training in the responsible conduct of research for their students, fellows, and staff. Please contact the Research Integrity Officer if you have any questions. Note regarding face-to-face training: NIH requires a face-to-face component for RCR training, though researchers who are not funded by NIH may also wish to provide face-to-face training for their trainees and support staff. This in-person training may take a variety of forms:

• A formal course in the responsible conduct of research (check your department’s course catalog)
• Departmental seminar(s) focusing on research integrity-related issues
• Including research integrity topics in the syllabi of already-scheduled courses (such as courses in research methods)
• Incorporating research integrity discussions into a regularly scheduled laboratory or departmental meetings