Research misconduct erodes public trust in science, which in turn impacts support for the overall research endeavor at an immeasurable cost to society, the university, and your team. Therefore, everyone affiliated with OSU has a responsibility to act when they suspect that research misconduct may have occurred.
email questions or concerns to the Research Integrity Officer or call (541) 737-9502
Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences in opinion, differences in interpreting data, misinterpreting results, or authorship disputes (unless they involve plagiarism).
The Research Office will respond to alleged or apparent research misconduct through three formal stages: Assessment, Inquiry, and Investigation. Details of these stages can be found in the Research Misconduct policy, which outlines an approach that balances the interests of all parties, including those of the general scientific community.
While not strictly meeting the definition of research misconduct, there are practices that should be diligently avoided. Examples of such practices include*:
*From the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Fostering Integrity in Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
If you would like to make an anonymous report related to any violation of ethical standards or institutional policies, we encourage you to use the Accountability & Integrity Hotline: EthicsPoint