Research Misconduct
see also: Research Misconduct Policy
Individual integrity in science, research, and scholarly activities is an important component of a viable and energetic academic community. Federal regulations require that Western Kentucky University assume primary responsibility for prevention, detection, and investigation of research misconduct and take action to ensure the integrity of research, the protection of the rights of research subjects and the public, and the observance of legal requirements related to federal research funding. Individual agency regulations differ in wording and emphasis. Information about the policies of particular federal agencies is available from the appropriate research administrators in the Office of Sponsored Programs.
University policies establish standards of ethical behavior for all members of the University community and prescribe procedures for due process and discipline for deviation from those standards. The policy and procedures on Research Misconduct, attached, deal with violations of a subset of these standards and apply to prohibited conduct in proposing, carrying out and reporting research. Specifically, Research Misconduct procedures are invoked when allegations are reported of:
- Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results;
- Failure to comply with requirements for the protection of human or animal subjects
Principal Investigators have primary responsibility for the design, execution and management of research projects they direct, and must be vigilant in seeing that the standards of professional and ethical conduct are maintained in all phases of their projects. In order to protect both the integrity and the autonomy of the University, it is crucial that researchers assume these high standards and that in the event of allegations of misconduct the campus administer a fair system of review. Suspected violations of ethical standards should be reported immediately. If extramural funds are suspected to be involved, the Office of Sponsored Programs must be informed immediately to assure timely compliance with sponsor regulations.
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