Welcome to the website of the UK Research Integrity Office
The UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) is an independent body which offers expert advice and guidance to universities, NHS bodies, other research organisations, individual researchers and members of the public about the conduct of research.
Hosted by Universities UK, our aims are to:- promote the good governance, management and conduct of research;
- share good practice on how to address misconduct in research when it occurs; and
- give confidential and independent advice on guidance on specific cases and issues.
Although our formal remit is to provide support to the health and biomedical sciences research community, since our inception we have given advice and guidance to universities, NHS institutions, other research organisations and individual researchers across all subject areas.
All requests for advice are kept confidential and we welcome enquiries from members of the public and individual researchers as well as from research organisations. A leaflet describing the work of UKRIO is available here and details on how to contact us can be found here.
UKRIO is guided by its Board, whose Members are nominated by the organisations which regulate and fund health and biomedical research. Chaired by Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, the Board guides UKRIO's programme of work. Biographies of the Board Members can be found here. UKRIO is an independent and confidential advisory body. The bodies that fund and support us do not determine who we help or how we help them, and all details of cases are kept confidential within UKRIO.
UKRIO is not a regulatory body and has no formal legal powers. It was set up to provide independent support to employers, research organisations, researchers and members of the public where there was none. The advice and guidance it offers is not mandatory but reflects best practice in the conduct of research and addressing misconduct.
UKRIO recognises that there are many organisations which issue guidance on the conduct of research to the UK research community. For some time, UKRIO has been working with organisations such as Research Councils UK and the Department of Health, with a view ultimately to streamline guidance on good practice in research, to ensure that it is clear for the research community, and to avoid duplication of effort. Further developments will be made known to the research community as they occur.
Recent News - for other items of interest to the research community, please see our Sector News page
UKRIO Responds to Sir Muir Russell’s Independent Climate Change E-mails Review
UKRIO has responded to the publication of the Independent Climate Change E-mails Review, chaired by Sir Muir Russell. The Review was established in December 2009 after approximately 1,000 emails from the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia were published online without authorisation.
UKRIO responds to Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine editorial and article on research misconduct
We have written to JRSM to correct several errors concerning UKRIO that appear in a recent editorial and article on research misconduct. Our letter of correction can be found here and we understand it will be published in due course. We are grateful to JRSM for allowing us to set the record straight. Despite the unfortunate errors, the articles are fascinating reading and we welcome their publication. Links to them can be found on our Sector News page.
University of Edinburgh adopts UKRIO's Code of Practice for Research
The research community has responded very positively to the publication of UKRIO's Code of Practice for Research, a reference tool to support researchers and research organisations in the conduct of research of the highest quality. We regularly receive enquiries from individuals and institutional representatives on its use and adoption.
The University of Edinburgh recently announced that it, like many other research organisations, is adopting our Code. Hamish MacAndrew, Head of Research Support and Development at Edinburgh Research and Innovation stated:
"The UKRIO Code sets the gold standard and is regularly reviewed to take into account changes in legislation, and to reflect national and international best practice. I think that colleagues will find it a very readable and practical guide."
UKRIO welcomes the adoption of the Code by the University of Edinburgh and other research organisations. Further information on the Code of Practice can be found here. Copies of the Code can be downloaded here or requested from UKRIO.A formal survey on the use and uptake of UKRIO's published standards for research is planned for later in 2010.
Forthcoming from UKRIO: review of our advisory services 2007-2009
As the only dedicated research integrity organisation in the UK, UKRIO has amassed significant expertise through its considerable experiences in helping researchers, research organisations and members of the public address misconduct in research across all subject areas. No other organisation has comparable experience in providing such support to the UK research community.
From the volume of cases that we deal with, currently 30 - 40 per year, it is evident that researchers and organisations, which might be expected to be hesitant about sharing problems with a non-regulatory body, are willing to come forward and seek guidance on difficult issues. To pass on the lessons learned from our experiences, UKRIO will shortly be publishing a review of the first three years of its advisory service.
The review will include key lessons that we feel the research community should be aware of, anonymised summary data on the requests for assistance received by UKRIO and illustrative, anonymised case studies.
The intent is to show how the essential service provided by UKRIO has worked in practice and use case studies to illustrate key points of good practice to researchers and organisations. The review will also highlight examples of poor practice that we feel the research community must avoid, in order not to repeat the mistakes of others.
Launch of web-based version of UKRIO's Code of Practice for Research, to inform the review of the publication
Drawing upon UKRIO's experiences in addressing good conduct and misconduct in research, the Code provides principles and standards for researchers and research organisations and also includes a Recommended Checklist for Researchers: a one-page, non-technical checklist for the key points of good practice in research, based on the more detailed standards provided by the Code. The Code can help researchers and organisations ensure that important issues have not been overlooked and applies to all types of research.
The Code is a 'living document' and UKRIO is actively seeking feedback on the current edition to inform its review.
To that end, we have published an online version of the Code here, including a mechanism for the research community to submit feedback on specific sections and suggest new developments in good practice in research for inclusion. We would welcome your comments on the current edition of the Code.
Further information on the Code can be found here.
Update: feedback sought on UKRIO's Procedure for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research
In September 2008, UKRIO launched its standard Procedure for the Investigation of Misconduct in Research. The Procedure is designed to ensure that investigations of alleged research misconduct are carried out thoroughly and fairly. It works with existing institutional processes such as disciplinary and grievance procedures and does not replace them.
Since its launch, the Procedure has been used by universities and NHS Trusts to investigate allegations of research misconduct, which can have serious and wide-ranging implications if not addressed properly. Research organisations can adopt the Procedure for use when investigating allegations of misconduct in research or use it as a reference tool when revising their existing processes to address misconduct. UKRIO is happy to provide advice and assistance to institutions on the adoption and use of the Procedure and on the general revision of polices and systems to address misconduct.
Further details on the Procedure can be found here and a PDF version of the publication can be downloaded here.
UKRIO would welcome feedback on the Procedure, its adoption by research organisations and its use in investigating allegations of misconduct. Details on how to contact us can be found here.
For other items of interest, please see our sector news page
